List of 150 Alberta Historical People


) Honourable Norman L. Kwon- Lieutenant Governor-2005-2010



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64) Honourable Norman L. Kwon- Lieutenant Governor-2005-2010


Normie Kwong was born in Calgary on October 24, 1929 to Chinese parents who owned a local grocery store. His parents came to Canada in the early 1900’s from China and at that time had to pay a fee to enter Canada, known as a head tax. Normie attended Western Canada High School in Calgary and after high school he joined his hometown Calgary Stampeders to play professional football. When he joined the Stampeders he was the first Asian player in Canadian professional football. Normie helped the Stampeders win their first Grey Cup in 1948, and a few seasons later was traded to the rival Edmonton Eskimos. While playing football with the Eskimos, Normie helped the Eskimos win three Grey Cups and played for them until he retired from football in 1960.

During his football career, he was named a league all-star five times and won the league’s most outstanding player award twice. During his career, Normie set thirty Canadian professional football records. He was later voted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

After Normie retired from football he became a businessman in Calgary in the stock market and real estate. He helped bring professional hockey to Calgary in 1980 as the Atlanta Flames moved to town. Normie was a part owner of the Calgary Flames from 1980 until 1994. In 1988, Normie helped save his old team, the Calgary Stampeders, from shutting down due to lack of money. He became the team’s president and general manager and helped make the Stampeders a great team once again, helping them win the Grey Cup in his last year with the team in 1992.

Normie was also involved in charity work and charitable causes during his life. He was named National Chairman for the Canadian Council on Multiculturalism in 1979 and was a Chairman for the Calgary Easter Seals. Normie also served as the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta from January 20, 2005 until May 10, 2010. Normie Kwong passed away on September 3, 2016 at the age of 86.

By Tom Elder

65) Honourable Philip C.H. Primrose- Lieutenant Governor- 1936-1937


Have you ever wondered what the Yukon Gold Rush was like? Many thousands of people left their livelihoods to travel on a dangerous journey to search for gold in the Klondike in the Yukon in Canada’s far north-west.

Philip Carteret Hill Primrose graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada and was appointed as an Inspector in the North-West Mounted Police on August 1, 1885. In 1899 he was sent to the Klondike and spent four years there during the Yukon gold rush. This was a very important time, and this period helped establish the Yukon and several northern Canadian cities that had never really been explored or settled due to the difficult conditions and harsh terrains.

After his time in the Klondike, Philip C.H. Primrose returned to Macleod as the Commanding Officer until 1913. As an officer, he took his leadership position seriously in pioneer society, as life was not easy or, glamorous on the prairies. Primrose was responsible for the lives of his men who served under him. He served in the North West Mounted Police for over thirty years.

After leaving the North West Mounted Police, his accomplishments continued. He served as the Police Magistrate in Edmonton and during World War I, he was the Commanding Officer of the Edmonton Reserve Battalion of the Canadian Army.

He was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1936. He died six months later and was given a state funeral in Alberta. A community in Edmonton is named after him. His life example shows us that a pioneering spirit of commitment, leadership and embracing adventure helps us to achieve our goals.

By Carol-Anne Carter


66) Honourable Ralph G Steinhauer Lieutenant Governor-1974-1979


Ralph Garvin Steinhauer, OC, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, was an Indigenous leader and farmer. He born on June 8, 1905 in Morley, North-West Territories, now Alberta, and died in September 19, 1987 in Edmonton. He has the distinction of being the first person of Aboriginal heritage to be selected Lieutenant Governor of a Canadian province. He was committed to Indigenous affairs in Alberta and Canada, Ralph G. Steinhauer was a full Treaty Indian of the Cree tribe and great grandson of the famous Methodist missionary, Henry Bird Steinhauer. Ralph G. Steinhauer was educated at the Brandon Indian Residential School and was a member of the United Church of Canada.

As part of his activist career, Steinhauer was a vocal supporter of Indigenous rights. As a young man, he was denied a position as an assistant postmaster because of his ethnicity. He was also a survivor of the residential school system. His experiences motivated him to become involved in Indigenous rights organizations. He founded and was president of the Indian Association of Alberta, and also served as councilor and chief of Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

In 1963, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the federal election, but was defeated. Eleven years later, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau asked Steinhauer if he would accept a nomination as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. He was hesitant to accept the position because he was not familiar with government protocol. However, Steinhauer valued the honour of the offer and accepted the position. On 2 July 1974, he was sworn in as the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. During his time as Lieutenant Governor, on 23 January 1975, Steinhauer read the speech highlighting the historic and complex relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples.

He received diverse honors, such as the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967), the Officer of the Order of Canada (1972) and was a Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (1975). He also received honorary doctorates in divinity from St. Stephen's College, Edmonton (1985) and in law from the University of Alberta (1976) and the University of Calgary (1979).

By Getzemany Uscanga


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