John Horne Blackmore

Who was John Horne Blackmore?

John Horne Blackmore, a school teacher and principal by training, was the first leader of what became the Social Credit Party of Canada, a political party in Canada that promoted the social credit theories of monetary reform.

Blackmore was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1935 election as Member of Parliament representing Lethbridge, Alberta for the fledgling Social Credit movement which had swept to power in Alberta in the 1935 Alberta provincial election weeks earlier. He was chosen the party's parliamentary leader. In 1939 Social Credit merged into William Herridge's New Democracy movement with Herridge acknowledged as the new party's leader. However, Herridge failed to win a seat in the 1940 federal election and in the subsequent parliament Blackmore led the New Democracy MPs, all former Social Crediters, who had been elected.

Blackmore remained party leader until 1944 when Social Credit held its first national convention and acclaimed Solon Earl Low as leader. He remained an MP until he was defeated in the 1958 election in which Social Credit lost all of its MPs.