Alberta's First Speaker: Felled By The Flu.

• Date: 22 September 2020
• Author: Footz, Valerie

One hundred years ago, the world was gripped by an influenza pandemic. Many Canadians succumbed to the disease, including Alberta's first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In this article, the author traces his political career and explains how a virulent and novel strain of the flu cost him his life.

Charles Wellington Fisher, the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, was eminently suited for this historic role both by temperament and because of his prior service in the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories. Fisher presided over the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for over 13 years as this new province shaped what was to become its legislative legacy. During Fisher's tenure as Speaker, the number of Members in the Legislative Assembly more than doubled from 25 in 1906 to 61 in 1919.

After serving a two-year term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories, Fisher began to campaign for a seat in the newly established Legislative Assembly of Alberta in October 1905. His prior electoral success in the Banff constituency...