35 Facts About Ernest Manning

Ernest Manning served longer than any other premier in the province's history and was the second longest-serving provincial premier in Canadian history.

Ernest Manning was the only member of the Social Credit Party of Canada to sit in the Senate and, with the party shut out of the House of Commons in 1980, was its last representative in Parliament when he retired from the Senate in 1983.

Ernest Manning was born in Carnduff, Saskatchewan, in 1908 to George Henry Ernest Manning and Elizabeth Mara Dixon.

Ernest Manning was among the first students of William Aberhart's Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute, which opened in 1927, and became its first graduate in April 1930, having heard of it over a radio broadcast.

In 1935, Ernest Manning went into the realm of provincial politics as Aberhart's right-hand man.

Ernest Manning was named to the provincial cabinet at just 26 years old, becoming Alberta's provincial secretary and minister of trade and industry.

Ernest Manning devoted himself wholly to his work, to such an extent that his health began to suffer.

Ernest Manning eventually developed a bout of tuberculosis in November 1936, returning to work after just three month's convalescence.

At the outbreak of World War II, Ernest Manning joined the Edmonton Regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia, qualifying as a lieutenant.

Ernest Manning had to discontinue his military duties when he was appointed Premier of Alberta.

Ernest Manning had been Aberhart's religious protege and his closest associate in cabinet.

Ernest Manning was regarded by Aberhart, who had two daughters, almost as a son.

The policy was widely criticized, and the next year, Ernest Manning agreed to use oil royalties on public works and social programs instead.

In 1935, Ernest Manning had famously entered the Alberta Cabinet as Provincial Secretary at only 26 years old.

Ernest Manning was the youngest cabinet minister in all of British parliamentary history since William Pitt the Younger, who had served as the prime minister of Great Britain 152 years earlier.

Ernest Manning retired in 1968, and Social Credit was knocked out of office three years later.

Ernest Manning had been a devoutly loyal supporter of Aberhart from the very beginning and so it is not clear why he was so willing to abandon his party's traditional ideology.

Ernest Manning honoured Aberhart's 1935 promise to issue a Prosperity Certificate to Albertans twice.

The policy was widely criticized, and the next year, Ernest Manning agreed to use oil royalties on public works and social programs instead.

Ernest Manning was not dissuaded since he was convinced that the oil sands would grant the province incredible wealth.

Ernest Manning even went so far as to convince the entire Alberta Legislature to visit the Bitumount plant in 1949 since he believed that they would agree to continue development after it had witnessed the success in separating the oil sands.

Ernest Manning commissioned a petroleum engineer by the name of Sidney Robert Blair to prepare a report on the economic feasibility of the separation process.

Ernest Manning's deep Christian faith gave him a sense of charity to the poor and needy, but unlike the longtime premier of neighbouring Saskatchewan, Tommy Douglas, Ernest Manning was an outspoken critic of government involvement in society.

Ernest Manning remained a staunch anti-communist, and encouraged strong religious, individual, and corporate initiatives in addressing and solving social issues.

Ernest Manning argued the media and education system was sympathetic to the communist cause.

Ernest Manning used his strong provincial standing to influence the federal Socreds.

Ernest Manning told the 1961 federal leadership convention that Alberta would never accept francophone Catholic Real Caouette of Quebec as the party's leader even though Caouette led the party's strongest branch east of Manitoba.

In 1970, Ernest Manning was appointed to the Senate, the only Socred ever to serve in that body.

Ernest Manning retired from the Senate in 1983 since he had reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

In 1936, Ernest Manning married Muriel Aileen Preston, the pianist at the Prophetic Bible Institute.

Ernest Manning married fellow nursing home resident Marilyn Brownell, and died from cardiac arrest on June 29,1986.

Ernest Manning was appointed as the first member of Alberta Order of Excellence on September 23,1981.

Ernest Manning was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada by Governor-General Michener in 1970.

In 1980, the Ernest C Manning Awards Foundation was created, and the Manning Innovation Awards were started in 1982, with the purpose of promoting and honouring Canadian innovation.

In 2013, the federal riding of Edmonton Ernest Manning was established in Ernest Manning's name.