The Honourable Peter Lougheed, 1971 - 1985

During his tenure as Premier of Alberta, The Honourable E. Peter Lougheed became one of Canada's most prominent political figures.  His government's strong stand on energy and constitutional issues attracted national attention.

Edgar Peter Lougheed was born on July 26, 1928, at Calgary, Alberta.  He is the son of Edgar D. Lougheed and Edna A. Bauld and is the grandson of Senator Sir James A. Lougheed, Alberta's first Conservative federal Cabinet Minister.  E. Peter Lougheed is an Anglican.

He received his elementary education at the Strathcona School for Boys and at Earl Grey and Rideau Public Schools in Calgary.  He completed his secondary education at Central High School in the same city.  While attending Central High School, he was the first President of that school's Students' Union, an innovation which he had proposed.  In 1950 and 1952 respectively, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta.  During his years at the University of Alberta, he played football for the University Golden Bears Intercollegiate Football Club and the Edmonton Eskimos, was elected President of the Students' Union, served in the Canadian Officers' Training Corp qualifying as a Commissioned Officer, received the Joseph Dolson Oliver Mothersill Memorial Scholarship, and edited the sports page of the university newspaper.  In 1954, he received a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University.

On June 21, 1952, E. Peter Lougheed married Jeanne E. Rogers of Camrose, Alberta. They have four children: Stephen, Andrea, Pamela, and Joseph.

E. Peter Lougheed was called to the Alberta Bar in 1955 and first practiced law with the Calgary firm of Fenerty, Fenerty, McGillivray, Prowse, and Brennan.  In 1956, he joined the Mannix Corporation and was subsequently promoted to the position of Secretary and General Counsel in 1958.  In 1961, he reentered private legal practice as a partner in the firm of Lougheed, Ballem, and McDill.

In 1965, E. Peter Lougheed was elected Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta.  Subsequently, at the provincial election of 1967, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to represent the electoral district of Calgary West and, from 1967 to 1971, he served as Leader of the Official Opposition .

At the provincial election of 1971, E. Peter Lougheed was reelected, and the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party won the majority of seats in the Legislature.  Consequently, effective September 10, 1971, he was appointed Premier of Alberta by Lieutenant-Governor J.W. Grant MacEwan .  E. Peter Lougheed was reelected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary West at the provincial elections of 1975, 1979, and 1982.

During his tenure as Premier, the Alberta Government's major priorities were the control of Alberta's natural resources and their development for future generations of Albertans; participation of Albertans in the mainstream of Canadian life; economic diversification; and the improvement of health, research, and recreational facilities in the Province.  As well, the provincial government's financial resources were strengthened considerably by increased petrochemical royalties.  In 1976, the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund was established, and a portion of these royalties was deposited as long-term investments to be used to meet unanticipated future needs.  At the federal-provincial level, E. Peter Lougheed advocated a stronger role for Alberta in national decision-making.  He was one of the principal advocates of the 1982 constitutional amending formula, which protects Alberta's resource ownership rights.  Effective November 1, 1985, E. Peter Lougheed resigned as Premier of Alberta and, on February 28, 1986, he resigned his seat as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary West.

E. Peter Lougheed is presently a partner in the Calgary law firm of Bennett, Jones, and Verchere and serves on the Board of Directors of the following organizations: ATCO Limited, Bechtel Canada Incorporated, Canadian Pacific Limited, Carlson Construction Limited, CFCN Communications Limited, DMR Group Incorporated, Luscar Limited, The Matthews Group, Norcen Energy Limited, Northern Telecom Limited, Princeton Developments Limited, PWA Corporation, Quorum Capital Corporation, Reed Stenhoues Companies Limited, and the Royal Bank of Canada.  He also serves on the National Advisory Committe for the Banff School of Management, and is an adviser to the Government of the Northwest Territories.  In the recent past, he served as Co-Chairman of the Canadian Alliance for Trade and Job Opportunities (1988) and Honorary Chairman of the XV Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee (1987 and 1988).

In 1985, the Alberta Government recognized E. Peter Lougheed's service to the Province by naming a multicultural village in Edmonton in his honour.  In 1986, the provincial government also named a park in the Kananaskis area of Alberta in his honour and the University of Alberta established the Peter Lougheed Scholarships.  In 1987, the new electronic art resources building at the Banff Centre was named in honour of E. Peter Lougheed and his wife Jeanne and, in 1988, the new northeast site of the Calgary General Hospital was named the "Peter Lougheed Centre".  E. Peter Lougheed has also received the following honours: Queen's Counsel (1971); Honorary Chief ("Thunderbird") of the Cree Indians (1971); Honorary Chief ("Crop-Eared Wolf") of the Blood Indians (1974); Queen's Privy Council for Canada (1982); Honorary Doctor of Laws, St. Francis Xavier University (1983); Shevchenko Memorial Medal (1985); Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Alberta (1986); Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Calgary (1986); Award of Merit, B'nai B'rith Canada (1987); Companion of the Order of Canada (1987); Legal Humanitarian of the Year Award (1987); Sports Wall of Fame, University of Alberta (1987); Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Lethbridge (1988) and University of Windsor (1988).

E. Peter Lougheed lives in Calgary, Alberta.