Andrew Shandro (politician)
Andrew S. Shandro (April 3, 1886 at Russ Banilla [probably the modern village of Banyliv-Pidhirnyi], Bukowina, which was then a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – January 13, 1942 at Edmonton, Alberta), was the first Ukrainian Canadian to be elected to the Alberta Legislature. Shandro was the son of Stefan Shandro and his wife, Anastasia (née Ostashek). He was of Ukrainian descent and a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. His grandfather was a judge and an uncle was a general in the Austro-Hungarian army. He migrated to Canada in 1899 with his parents and settled northeast of Andrew, Alberta[1] near the North Saskatchewan River. He became a prominent farmer and was postmaster of a rural community that bore his family's name (Shandro, Alberta).[2]
In 1905 Shandro married Rose Hawrelak, daughter of Nicoli Hawrelak of Bukowina. They had six children. Educated at Edmonton Business College, Shandro became a federal homestead inspector in 1907.
Shandro ran as a candidate for the Alberta Liberal Party for the riding of Whitford in 1913. Shandro won, but the election was declared void by the courts. However, Shandro was re-elected in the March 15, 1915, by-election, and was acclaimed in 1917 by act of the Legislature which allowed for all members of the Assembly serving in the armed forces to be automatically returned to their seats in the Legislature. He served as a lieutenant in the Canadian Army during World War I.
In 1921 Shandro was returned by acclamation for Whitford (the nomination papers of the opposing UFA candidate were rejected). His election was appealed, the court declared the election void and a by-election writ was issued for July 10, 1922. Shandro was defeated in the by-election. He unsuccessfully contested the 1926 and 1935 Alberta elections.
See also
References
Sources
- MacGregor, J.G. (1969). Vilni Zemli (Free Lands) : The Ukrainian Settlement of Alberta. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
External links
- Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
- Andrew Shandro's Military Attestation for the 218th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1917
Legislative Assembly of Alberta | ||
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Preceded by New District |
MLA Whitford 1913–1922 |
Succeeded by Mike Chornohus |