Thauberger, Joseph (1909-98)

Joseph Thauberger was born August 26, 1909 in Bessarabia (now Moldova) and came to Saskatchewan at the age of 2. He farmed at Vibank, where he joined the provincial Social Credit Party in 1935. He ran in the 1938 provincial election in the Qu'Appelle- Wolseley constituency. Despite coming in third in that election and the next four elections in Humboldt constituency, Thauberger's conviction in his beliefs was not diminished. He was elected the first president of the Social Credit Party in 1949 and acclaimed as the president of the Social Credit League in 1952. These positions gave Thauberger a political platform for speaking out against the control of the economy by the government and the banks. After 1956 Thauberger did not run in any more provincial elections, but continued to teach Social Credit policy. He was elected president of the Catholic section of the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association for 1964-65. In 1972 he wrote a book that explained his economic ideas in layman's terms. During the 1980s Thauberger parted ways with the Social Credit Party, believing that it had become too radical. He founded the Canada Party, a federal party that embodied many of the same ideals as Social Credit at the height of its popularity. Thauberger ran in the 1993 federal election as its leader at the age of 84. He announced his retirement from politics following the election. Thauberger died in Regina on April 21, 1998.

Stephane Bonneville

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