William Egbert

William Egbert (February 25, 1857 – October 15, 1936) was a Canadian physician and politician. He was the third lieutenant governor of Alberta, from 1925 to 1931.

Egbert was born in 1857 to a farming family in what is today the province of Ontario. He attended Ottawa Normal School, then taught and was a principal at Ontario schools. After receiving his medical degrees, he began to practice in Milverton, Ontario. In 1904, he moved to Calgary, and involved himself in politics and community affairs as Alberta entered Confederation.

Egbert was an unsuccessful legislative candidate for the Liberal Party of Alberta in the 1905 general election. In 1925, the Liberal prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, arranged for Egbert's appointment as lieutenant governor. Egbert served six years in that post, and participated in a variety of activities, from welcoming the Prince of Wales to hosting students at the University of Alberta. In 1931, he left his position as lieutenant governor and returned to the practice of medicine. He died in 1936 after a long illness.

Early life and education William Egbert was born on February 25, 1857, in Welland County, Province of Canada (now Ontario) to Maria Catherine ( Silverthorn) and Joseph Morgan Egbert. His father owned a farm near Dunnville.

Egbert attended the Dunnville Public High School, and graduated from Ottawa Normal School in 1881, with a teaching certificate. In 1885, he studied medicine at Victoria University. He received his Bachelor of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees in 1889. He then attended post-graduate education the next year in Edinburgh and London.

Early career alt=A black-haired man with a handlebar mustache wearing a suit with a necktie and wing collar. When returning to Ontario in 1891, Egbert established a medical practice in Milverton. He was described as "one of the best known physicians and surgeons in the Eastern provinces, his surgical training winning fame for him." In the early 1890s, Egbert played a key role in establishing a rural telephone service in his area. and the Alberta Medical Association, where he was president in 1921. He also established the Columbia Hospital, and was its director. He was sworn in on October 29 in a simple ceremony in Calgary, the only swearing-in of a lieutenant governor that has not taken place in the capital city, Edmonton. Egbert (right) meeting with Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1927. alt=The same mustachioed man, right, wearing a light gray suit and smiling while shaking hands with a man, left, in a light gray suit with a flat-top straw hat and a more bemused expression. As Lieutenant Governor, Egbert attended many functions, such as the Annual Convention of the Union of Alberta Municipalities and the welcoming ceremony of the new bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Calgary. He also gave speeches at events, such as the 100th anniversary of Father Albert Lacombe's birth and a speech at the Alberta Legislature Building as a member of National Committee for the Celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation that commemorated the importance and the achievements of the Fathers of Confederation. Their youngest daughter, Alice Leah, died at the age of one.

Later activities, death and legacy Following the end of his term as lieutenant governor, Egbert returned to Calgary to resume his medical practice. In 1935, he became the chairman of the Economic Safety League, an establishment of representatives from various members of boards of trade and chambers of commerce throughout the province. Former Premier of Alberta Alexander Cameron Rutherford said that "[Egbert] fulfilled his duties as governor splendidly and as a private citizen he took an equally creditable and useful past in Alberta life."