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Although he attained his goal of becoming elected to the federal government, McGeer was once again relegated to the back benches of
Mackenzie King's government. He had a warm relationship with King through much of his political career, but King did not embrace McGeer's monetary schemes but eventually
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was replaced by Walter
Mulligan, who was the youngest chief in Vancouver to date. McGeer died in office in 1947 and therefore did not see the fruits of his latest reform drive. In 1955, revelations surfaced that McGeer's chosen police chief had instituted a pay-off system in Vancouver, resulting in
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by rail. He worked for years on this case and achieved considerable success. The outcome proved a windfall for the BC economy, earning McGeer a reputation as "the man who flattened the
Rockies." Reductions in discriminatory freight rates made it economically feasible for prairie grain to come west
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McGeer organized elaborate celebrations to mark
Vancouver's golden jubilee in 1936, which was controversial in the midst of the depression. While some applauded his efforts to boost civic pride as a positive step towards bringing back prosperity, others denounced extravagances such as a $ 35,000
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from 1933 to 1935. McGeer was considered a maverick in his own party during his second term, after he became critical of the government because
Pattullo had not appointed him to cabinet. According to McGeer, Pattullo had led him to believe he would become the province's Attorney-General.
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slate. Again he ran on a campaign to rid the city of vice and police corruption. Ill-health made him less exuberant than his earlier mayoral term, but he nonetheless persisted with his reforms. Twenty-six men on the police force were demoted or dismissed and the
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McGeer's monetary reform ideas were certainly his greatest passion and achievement. His was one of the most forceful voices in Canada advocating government intervention in the usurious
British monetary system and nationalizing the Bank of Canada.
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saw things his way. Despite the reservations of the political elite, McGeer was immensely popular outside those circles because of his fiery oration skills. His tirades against bankers and the banking system proved especially popular during the
577:, McGeer became a zealous student of economics and soon became obsessed with monetary reform as the answer to the economic crisis. He eventually came up with his own theories, which he cobbled together from the work of
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and the civic government, but it was his battles against communism that garnered him the most publicity, at least in his first year in office. Unemployed men in the federal relief camps had been organized by
597:." McGeer's lifelong mission was to attain a position where he could implement his reform ideas, but his flamboyant, aggressive, and eccentric style and theories alienated the powerbrokers in his own party.
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with the biggest margin of victory in
Vancouver's civic history. He established himself in his campaign as a populist reformer, painting his opponent as outdated and corrupt, with police and
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the two main pillars of his campaign. As mayor, he would not have power to implement his monetary policies, which he believed could end the depression. He was, however, able to reform the
589:. (Williams, 312) On one occasion, he hypothesized that international "money power" was financing Communists activities in Vancouver. Another time he testified before the government that
508:. They struck on 4 April 1935 and arrived in Vancouver on boxcars shortly thereafter. The men stayed in Vancouver for two months, marching daily in protest of relief camp conditions.
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an extensive police inquiry. Mulligan fled the country, one high-ranking member of the force committed suicide, and another attempted suicide. Meanwhile, a
Superintendent from the
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McGeer first attained renown in the 1920s as a lawyer representing the
British Columbia government in its case to reduce freight rate differentials on goods shipped through the
401:. He served as the 22nd Mayor of Vancouver, a Member of the Legislative Assembly in BC, Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party of Canada, and in the Canadian Senate.
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uprising. Although he came from a background as an iron molder and union representative, he came to be seen as an enemy of organized labour because of these events.
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537:. Shortly before the trekkers left, another Communist-led strike broke out on the waterfront, culminating with another bloody clash that became known as the
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to publicize their grievances to shoppers. The police came to evict the men, and a bloody clash ensued. After that incident, the unemployed congregated at
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neighbourhood. As a young adult, he worked in an iron foundry and was an active member in his union. Eventually he went to
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while the city teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. McGeer is also credited with the construction of
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McGeer returned to civic politics with another landslide election victory in 1946, this time on a
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by a thin margin. In previous attempts, McGeer suffered defeats in the federal elections of
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was assassinated by international bankers opposed to the introduction of "
541:. Gerry McGeer treated these protests not as strikes, but as an attempted
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to study law. Back in Vancouver, he married Charlotte Spencer, of the
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building funded in part by a baby bond scheme conceived by McGeer.
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When Freedom was Lost: The Unemployed, the Agitator, and the State
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Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
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McGeer's most indelible mark in BC was made during his time as
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780:Mayor Gerry: The Remarkable Gerald Grattan McGeer.
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385:(6 January 1888 – 11 August 1947) was a lawyer,
446:rather than seaports in eastern Canada and the
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802:Gerry McGeer – Parliament of Canada biography
487:. He won the 1934 election against incumbent
204:February 20, 1934 – October 1, 1935
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80:February 6, 1936 – April 16, 1945
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250:March 1, 1917 – October 23, 1920
756:The Mulligan Affair: Top Cop on the Take
1158:20th-century mayors of places in Canada
1118:Canadian senators from British Columbia
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782:Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 1986.
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752:Macdonald, Ian; Betty O'Keefe (1997).
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678:took over as the new chief.
460:British Columbia Legislature
261:Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton
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339:Liberal Party of Canada
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637:and appointed to the
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383:Gerald Grattan McGeer
292:Gerald Grattan McGeer
18:Gerald Gratton McGeer
513:Hudson's Bay Company
423:Dalhousie University
371:Dalhousie University
227:John Howard Forester
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316:(1947-08-11)
268:Succeeded by
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169:L. D. Taylor
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141:Succeeded by
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98:Succeeded by
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1103:1947 deaths
1098:1888 births
1055:L. Campbell
1045:G. Campbell
1025:T. Campbell
854:Oppenheimer
555:Lost Lagoon
479:Mayor Gerry
327:Nationality
256:Preceded by
210:Preceded by
164:Preceded by
129:Preceded by
86:Preceded by
64:Canadian MP
1092:Categories
711:References
595:Greenbacks
585:, and the
405:Early life
366:Alma mater
298:1888-01-06
53:circa 1935
1065:Robertson
874:Templeton
543:Bolshevik
502:Communist
246:In office
200:In office
158:1935–1936
154:In office
123:1947–1947
119:In office
76:In office
1060:Sullivan
1040:Harcourt
1030:Phillips
1005:Thompson
1001:(acting)
899:Buscombe
894:McGuigan
889:Neelands
864:Anderson
694:See also
563:Art Deco
524:Riot Act
415:Manitoba
411:Winnipeg
409:Born in
395:Canadian
330:Canadian
238:Richmond
1070:Stewart
1050:P. Owen
1035:Volrich
1015:Alsbury
984:Cornett
979:Telford
949:W. Owen
944:Tisdall
934:McBeath
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909:Douglas
904:Bethune
884:Townley
869:Collins
849:MacLean
464:Liberal
462:as the
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999:Miller
989:McGeer
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969:McGeer
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959:Malkin
954:Taylor
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924:Baxter
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682:Legacy
639:Senate
629:, and
615:riding
389:, and
357:Spouse
234:BC MLA
188:BC MLA
994:Jones
587:Bible
109:22nd
66:for
1010:Hume
939:Gale
859:Cope
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