James Garfield Gardiner
James (Jimmy) Garfield Gardiner (1883-1962) was a farmer, politician, Premier of Saskatchewan and federal cabinet minister. Jimmy Gardiner was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 1914 and served as minister of highways (1922-26) in the government of Premier Charles A. Dunning from 1922 until succeeding Dunning as Premier in 1926. A highly partisan Liberal, his government was defeated in 1929 due to patronage scandals. As Leader of the opposition, he railed against the bigotry of James Anderson's Tory government alleging it was linked with the Ku Klux Klan and defeated Anderson in 1934 to become Premier a second time.
Gardiner left provincial politics the next year to join the federal cabinet of Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King as Minister of Agriculture holding that portfolio for twenty-two years until 1957 when the Liberal government was defeated.
Gardiner ran for the leadership at the 1948 Liberal leadership convention but lost to Louis St. Laurent. He remained in the Canadian House of Commons until he lost his seat in the 1958 Diefenbaker sweep.
Saskatchewan's Gardiner Dam is named after him.
