William Aberhart, Canadian evangelist and politician, seventh Premier of Alberta (died 1943)
William Aberhart
William Aberhart, also known as "Bible Bill" for his radio sermons about the Bible, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943. He was the founder and first leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party, which believed the Great Depression was caused by ordinary people not having enough to spend. Later, economists Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz supported Aberhart's analysis when they detailed how the money supply was significantly reduced during the Great Depression in their book A Monetary History of the United States. Therefore, Aberhart argued that the government should give each Albertan $25 per month to spend to stimulate the economy, by providing needed purchasing power to allow needy customers to buy from waiting businesses.
Premier of Alberta
The premier of Alberta is the head of government and first minister of the Canadian province of Alberta. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the governing United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022.