Education Queen's University | Role Basketball Coach Name John Page | |
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Preceded by William R. HowsonSamuel A. BarnesGeorge Van AllenDavid Milwyn DugganDavid B. MullenGerald O'Connor Died March 2, 1973, Edmonton, Canada | ||
John Percy Page also known as J. Percy Page (May 14, 1887 – March 2, 1973) was a Canadian teacher, basketball coach, provincial politician, and the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.
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Early life, education
Born in Rochester, New York, the son of Absalom Bell Page and Elizabeth Thomas, he moved with his family in 1890 to Bronte, Ontario. He attended Oakville Junior High School, Hamilton Collegiate Institute, Ontario Normal School, and Queen's University. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University, and a Bachelor of Commercial Science degree from the American Institute of Business.
In 1906, he accepted a teaching position at Rothesay Collegiate in Rothesay, New Brunswick. In 1907, he switched to the St. Thomas Collegiate Institute where he taught until 1912.
In 1910 J. Percy Page married Maude Roche, daughter of Gilbert Roche, of St. Thomas, Ontario. They had one daughter: Patricia Hollingsworth.
In 1912 Percy took a position in Edmonton, Alberta to introduce commercial training into the Edmonton high school system. Before retiring from teaching in 1952, he would be a Principal at two Edmonton high schools.
Coaches Edmonton Grads
While at the McDougall Commercial High School in 1914-15 he was the coach of the senior girls' basketball team. He continued to coach the same girls after graduation on a team that became known as The Edmonton Grads. The team under his tutorship would become one of the most successful teams of all time in sport, winning 502 of 522 games, for a winning percentage of .961, and winning all 27 Olympic matches they played during Olympic in 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936. However, women's basketball was not an official Olympic sport until 1976. In 1955, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame as a basketball builder.
Political career
In 1940, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the Edmonton electoral district. Although listed as an Independent on the ballot, he was a leading member of the "People's League," an anti-Social-Credit alliance of Conservatives and Liberals. He was re-elected in 1944. From 1945 to 1948, he was the Leader of the Opposition, (thus demonstrating that he was not an Independent MLA).
He was defeated in 1948 as leader of the Independent Citizen's Association, but was elected in 1952 as a Conservative. In 1952, he was appointed House Leader for the Conservatives. He was re-elected in 1955.
He was not re-elected in 1959.
From 1957 to 1959, he was also a trustee of the Edmonton Public School Board.
In 1959, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and served until 1966.
Honours
In 1961, he was made a Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1961, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta. The J. Percy Page School in Edmonton is named in his honour.