George Hara Williams

George Hara Williams (November 17, 1894 – September 12, 1945) was a Canadian farmer activist and politician.

Biography Born in Binscarth, Manitoba, Williams attended Manitoba Agricultural College after serving in World War I. Upon graduating, he moved to Saskatchewan to become director of livestock and equipment in the province for the federal Soldier Settlement Board. He was also involved with the Marxist Farmers' Educational League and was founder and secretary of the short-lived Farmers’ Political Association formed in 1924.

The FLG elected five MLAs to the Saskatchewan legislature, including Williams in the constituency of Wadena, and he formed the official opposition to the Liberal government. Coldwell did not win a seat in the legislature and Williams became Leader of the Opposition. The FLG officially affiliated with the national CCF and became the Saskatchewan CCF. In 1935, with Coldwell's election to the House of Commons of Canada, Williams became acting party leader and officially became party leader and president in 1936. even after it doubled its share of seats in the 1938 general election under his leadership. The party moderated several of its policies and limited its policy on nationalization of industry to transportation, communications and power generation. with the rank of Major in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. John Hewgill Brockelbank, a Williams loyalist, became the CCF's house leader while Williams retained the party presidency and leadership. Douglas challenged Williams for the position of Saskatchewan CCF president at the 1941 party convention and was elected. In 1942, Douglas was elected party leader. Williams returned to Canada prior to the 1944 Saskatchewan election and helped rally rural support for the party in its successful election campaign. Williams was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the new CCF government, but he resigned in February 1945 for ill health. He died later that year in Vancouver.