31 Facts About Joey Smallwood

Joseph Roberts Smallwood was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician.

Joey Smallwood was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of Newfoundland, serving until 1972.

Joey Smallwood's grandfather, David Smallwood, was a well-known maker of boots in St John's.

Joey Smallwood returned to Newfoundland in 1925, where he soon met and married Clara Oates.

Joey Smallwood ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate in Bonavista in 1932.

Joey Smallwood hosted a radio program, The Barrelman, beginning in 1937, that promoted pride in Newfoundland's history and culture.

Joey Smallwood was very successful in this job with a voice for radio that was easily recognizable throughout all of Newfoundland.

Joey Smallwood left the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland in 1943 to operate a pig farm at the Newfoundland Airport at Gander.

At this point, Joey Smallwood was a well-known radio personality, writer and organizer; he was a nationalist who had long criticized British rule.

In 1946, Joey Smallwood was elected as a delegate to the Newfoundland National Convention, which was organized to make recommendations to London about the future of Newfoundland that would be placed before the people of the country in a constitutional referendum.

Joey Smallwood supported joining Canada, arguing that union with Canada would bring prosperity.

Joey Smallwood was able to use the proceedings of the Convention, which were broadcast over the radio, to publicise the benefits of union with Canada.

Joey Smallwood founded and led the Confederate Association that supported the Confederation option in the Convention during the 1948 Newfoundland referendums.

Joey Smallwood was a member of the 1947 Ottawa Delegation that negotiated the Terms of Union with Canada.

Joey Smallwood created another newspaper, The Confederate, to promote Confederation.

The 1948 referendums resulted in Confederation being approved, and in 1949, as leader of the Liberal Party, Joey Smallwood was elected premier of the new province.

Joey Smallwood governed with large majorities for virtually his entire tenure.

Joey Smallwood vigorously promoted economic development through the Economic Development Plan of 1951, championed the welfare state, and attracted favourable attention across Canada.

Joey Smallwood emphasised modernisation of education and transportation to attract outsiders, such as German industrialists, because the local economic elite would not invest in industrial development.

Joey Smallwood relied heavily on the expertise of German industry in his repeated attempts to industrialise Newfoundland in the post-Confederation period.

Joey Smallwood was willing to side with corporations in his drive to industrialise the province.

Joey Smallwood granted foreign companies concessions to encourage development and even intervened in a labour dispute in 1959.

Joey Smallwood brought libel suits against The Telegram and he would threaten to pull government advertising over stories.

Joey Smallwood kept a tight rein on his ministers, regarding them as extensions of his own authority rather than as colleagues.

Joey Smallwood announced his retirement in 1969, only to change his mind and run for the leadership against John Crosbie.

The election resulted in a hung parliament, with Joey Smallwood's Liberals winning 20 seats to the Progressive Conservatives' 21.

The Labrador Party's lone MHA, Tom Burgess, threw his support to Joey Smallwood, resulting in a three-month deadlock.

However, under the threat of a revolt in his own caucus, Joey Smallwood was forced to resign in January 1972 in favour of the PCs' Frank Moores.

Joey Smallwood retired for good at the end of the term.

Joey Smallwood was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St John's, Newfoundland.

Joey Smallwood was featured in two National Film Board of Canada documentaries: In 1970, he was the subject of Julian Biggs's documentary film A Little Fellow from Gambo, for which he unusually received a Canadian Film Award for Best Actor in a Non-Feature at the 22nd Canadian Film Awards.