Ernest C. Drury

Rank:	8th
First Term:	November, 1919 - July, 1923
Predecessor:	William Hearst
Successor:	George Howard Ferguson
Date of Birth:	January 22, 1878
Place of Birth:	Crown Hill, Ontario
Profession:	Farmer
Political Party:	United Farmers of Ontario

Ernest Charles Drury (January 22, 1878-February 17, 1968) was a farmer, politician and writer who served as Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1919 to 1923 as the head of a United Farmers of Ontario - Labour coalition government. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The name William Hearst can refer to: William Hearst (Ontario premier) - Premier of Ontario, Canada, 1914 - 1919. ... George Howard Ferguson (June 18, 1870-February 21, 1946) was a Conservative politician and Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1923 to 1930. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usually has a professional association, ethical code and process of certification or licensing. ... Farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... The United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) were the Ontario section of the nation-wide United Farmers movement that arose in Canada in the early part of the 20th century. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... In Canada, a Premier is the head of government of a province. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English, French (in some areas) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 106 24 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 4th 1,076,395... The United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) were the Ontario section of the nation-wide United Farmers movement that arose in Canada in the early part of the 20th century. ... There have been various groups in Canada who have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ...

Drury was a cofounder of the UFO in 1913, but did not run in the 1919 election that returned farmer candidates as the largest bloc in the provincial legislature. Not having a leader, the UFO Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) asked Drury to lead them. The UFO's 49 MLAs joined with 11 Labour members to form a coalition government. It was the first of a wave of United Farmers governments that took power in several provinces and that founded the Progressive Party of Canada. The Ontario general election, 1919 was the fifteenth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... The United Farmers movement in Canada rose to prominence after World War I with the failure of the wartime Union government to alter a tariff structure that hurt farmers, various farmers movements across Canada became more radical and entered the political arena. ... The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. ...

Drury's progressive government expanded Ontario Hydro, created the Province of Ontario Savings Office - a provincially owned bank that was designed to lend money to farmers at a lower rate, began the first major reforestation program in North America as well as initiating construction of the modern highway system. The government was also a strict enforcer of temperance measures. The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario was established in 1906 by the provincial Power Commission Act to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity generated by private companies already operating at Niagara Falls. ... Temperance may refer to: Temperance (virtue) Temperance movement Temperance (Tarot card) Temperance (band) See also Astrud Gilberto, for the album Temperance This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The government under Drury tried to be a "people's government" rather than a "class government", but in so doing, alienated the base of its support, particularly farmers. The UFO government clashed with the UFO organization (led by James J. Morrison, throughout Drury's term). James J. Morrison (1861-1936) was a farm leader in Ontario. ...

Drury also alienated industrialists and many workers by battling with Sir Adam Beck and his plans for expansion of the province's hydro-electric system. Many labour leaders distrusted a government dominated by farmers, feeling that they could not understand the problems of urban workers. Drury's failure to establish fair wage provisions on government contracts and his commitment to free trade that threatened the livelihood of industrial workers aliented urban workers further. Statue of Sir Adam Beck, located at University Avenue and Queen Street West in Toronto. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ...

The government was also much harmed by the Ontario Bond Scandal that resulted in provincial treasurer Peter Smith being jailed. The Ontario Bond Scandal was a scandal that hit the government of Ontario in the early 1920s. ... The Honourable Peter Smith was a Canadian politician. ...

The government was opposed by all the major newspapers in the province, with the exception of the Toronto Star, and, despite its attempt to broaden its base, was opposed by business. The Toronto Star is a major metropolitan newspaper produced in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

The Drury government was defeated when it ran for re-election in the 1923 provincial election. Drury retired from politics, but ran later as a federal Liberal-Progressive candidate. Unlike many UFOers, he never joined either the Liberal Party of Canada or the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. The Ontario general election, 1923 was the sixteenth general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1926 and 1953. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada) currently forms the federal government under Prime Minister Paul Martin. ... The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups as well as the League for Social Reconstruction. ...

In 1934, he was appointed sheriff and registrar of Simcoe County, a position he held until 1959, and wrote for magazines such as Maclean's. Macleans is Canadas leading weekly news magazine. ...

There is also a high school named after Ernest Drury in Milton, Ontario. Milton (2005 population 56,000) is a town in southern Ontario, Canada, about 40 km west of Toronto on Highway 401, and is the western terminus for GO Transits Milton Line commuter train and bus corridor. ...

Premiers of Ontario
Macdonald | Blake | Mowat | Hardy | Ross | Whitney | Hearst | Drury | Ferguson | Henry | Hepburn | Conant | Nixon | Drew | Kennedy | Frost | Robarts | Davis | Miller | Peterson | Rae | Harris | Eves | McGuinty