James Weir

James Weir (August 5, 1863 – April 8, 1949) was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He was one of the first elected in Alberta of the new wave of politicians, standing up for farmers and workers as a third-party representative, neither Liberal nor Conservative.

Early life He was born in Elginfield, Canada West.

A journalist by trade, he edited newspapers in Hamilton, Windsor, Saskatoon and Strathcona (now part of Edmonton).

Becoming a farmer in the Nanton area, he was active in the United Farmers of Alberta.

Political history Weir was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1917 Alberta general election. In the district of Nanton, he defeated incumbent MLA John Glendenning in a hotly contested three-way race that separated first from third place by 31 votes. Weir was elected as an Independent and affiliated with the leftist Non-Partisan League.

Weir only served a single term in the assembly. He did not run for re-election after dissolution of the Legislature in 1921.