The Prairie Populist: George Hara Williams and the Untold Story of the Ccf

The story of a socialist who led a populist movement of farmers in Saskatchewan, and went on to form the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

George Hara Williams was the most successful of the early leaders of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Saskatchewan. But his role in the party was undermined by Tommy Douglas and M. J. Coldwell, and now he is almost forgotten.

The populist who mobilized farmers of the province to support a socialist platform, he was one of five MLAs elected in the 1934 election, becoming Leader of the Opposition. He firmly supported socialists participating in the struggle against fascism, including military action, a position not held by everyone in the party. While Williams was serving overseas, a campaign to replace him as leader, led by Coldwell and Douglas, was successful.

The full story of Williams' role in building the CCF and bringing it to the threshold of power, and the party machinations leading to his defeat as leader, has until now, been never fully documented.

Author: J. F. Conway
Publisher: University of Regina Press
Published: 05/19/2018
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780889775459

About the Author

J.F. Conway is a professor of sociology at the University of Regina. Over the years he has published extensively on agrarian populism and the emergence of the CCF in Saskatchewan and the Social Credit movement in Alberta. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.