Editing Frederick C. Alderdice

{{short description|10th Prime Minister of Newfoundland}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name         = Frederick C. Alderdice
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| image        = Hon Frederick Charles Alderdice.jpg
| caption      = Alderdice in January 1934.
| nationality  = Newfoundlander
| order1       = 10th
| office1      = Prime Minister of Newfoundland
| term_start1  = August 15, 1928
| term_end1    = November 17, 1928
| predecessor1 = [[Walter Stanley Monroe]]
| successor1   = [[Richard Squires]]
| monarch1     = [[George V]]
| governor1    = [[William Allardyce]]<br />[[John Middleton (administrator)|John Middleton]]
| term_start2  = June 11, 1932
| term_end2    = February 16, 1934
| predecessor2 = [[Richard Squires]]
| successor2   = [[Joey Smallwood]]<br>(as [[Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador|Premier]])
| monarch2     = [[George V]]
| governor2    = [[John Middleton (administrator)|John Middleton]]<br />[[David Murray Anderson]]
| office3      = Vice Chairman of the [[Commission of Government]]
| term_start3  = 16 February 1934
| term_end3    = 1936
| predecessor3 = ''None, Commission of Government established.''
| successor3   = [[William R. Howley]]
| office4      = [[Commission of Government|Commissioner]] for Home Affairs and Education
| term_start4  = 16 February 1934
| term_end4    = 1936
| predecessor4 = ''None, Commission of Government established.''
| successor4   = [[James A. Winter]]
| office5      = Member of the<br> [[Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly|Newfoundland House of Assembly]]<br>for St. John's West
| term_start5  = June 11, 1932
| term_end5    = February 16, 1934
| alongside5    = [[Patrick F. Halley]]
| predecessor5 = ''District established''
| successor5   = [[Oliver Vardy]] (post-Confederation)<br>[[James Spratt (Canadian politician)|James Spratt]] (post-Confederation)
| office6      = Member of the<br> [[Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly|Newfoundland House of Assembly]]<br>for St. John's City East
| term_start6  = October 29, 1928
| term_end6    = June 11, 1932
| alongside6    = [[Gerald G. Byrne]]
| predecessor6 = ''District established''
| successor6   = ''District abolished''
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1871|11|10}}
| birth_place  = [[Belfast]], [[Ireland]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1936|02|26|1871|11|10}}
| death_place  = [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]
| constituency = 
| party        = [[United Newfoundland Party]]
| spouse       = 
| profession   = 
| religion     = 
| signature    = 
| footnotes    = 
}}
'''Frederick Charles Alderdice''' (November 10, 1871 – February 26, 1936) was a Newfoundland businessman, politician and the last [[Prime Minister]] of [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]. Alderdice was born in [[Belfast]], Ireland and was educated at [[Methodist College Belfast]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography – ALDERDICE, FREDERICK CHARLES MUNRO – Volume XVI (1931-1940) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography|url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/alderdice_frederick_charles_munro_16E.html|website=Dictionary of Canadian Biography|publisher=University of Toronto|access-date=July 28, 2016}}</ref> He moved to [[Colony of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] in 1886.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/alderdice_frederick_charles_munro_16E.html|website=Dictionary of Canadian Biography|publisher=University of Toronto|access-date=28 July 2016|title=Biography – ALDERDICE, FREDERICK CHARLES MUNRO – Volume XVI (1931-1940) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography}}</ref> A prominent [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] businessman, Alderdice was appointed to the [[Legislative Council of Newfoundland]] (the [[Upper House]] of the [[legislature]]) in 1924 and became leader of the [[Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party]] and the [[dominion]]'s Prime Minister when his cousin [[Walter Stanley Monroe]] retired from the post on August 15, 1928.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hon. F.C. Alderdice dead in St. John's|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d74tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xpgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6784,3146492&dq=alderdice&hl=en|access-date=May 11, 2013|newspaper=The Gazette|date=February 27, 1936}}</ref> Alderdice's first term as prime minister was short-lived, however, as his government lost that year's general election to the [[Liberal Party of Newfoundland|Liberals]] led by Sir [[Richard Squires]].

Alderdice joined with Liberals dissatisfied with Squires to form the [[United Newfoundland Party]] with himself as leader. The [[Great Depression]] embroiled the dominion in a severe economic crisis which was compounded by corruption in the Squires government taking the dominion to the brink of [[bankruptcy]]. Widespread unemployment added to the crisis and resulted in an anti-government [[riot]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] on April 5, 1932. The Squires government collapsed and Alderdice swept to power in the ensuing June election on the promise that if elected, his government would examine the possibility of suspending the constitution and having a commission administer the country until conditions improved. His United Newfoundland Party won 24 seats to only two for the Liberals.

The Alderdice government was unable to deal with the economic crisis and proposed a partial default on the dominion's debts. Britain and Canada (whose currency was shared by Newfoundland) agreed to give the dominion financial aid in exchange for the creation of an Imperial [[Royal Commission]] to investigate the dominion's future. The Commission recommended the suspension of [[responsible government]] and the institution of an appointed [[Commission of Government]] to rule the dominion.

Alderdice was pressured by the British to accept the recommendations without calling a new election or submitting the proposals to a [[referendum]]. Alderdice agreed and, at the end of 1933, the legislature voted to accept the recommendations and voted itself out of existence. Alderdice was appointed to the [[Commission of Government]] when it was established in February 1934 and served  as Commissioner for Home Affairs and Education in the new Commission of Government as well as Vice-Chairman until his death in 1936.

{{S-start}}
{{S-off}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Walter Stanley Monroe]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Newfoundland Prime Ministers|Prime Minister of Newfoundland]]|years=1928}}
{{S-aft|after=Sir [[Richard Squires]]}}
{{S-bef|before=Sir [[Richard Squires]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=Prime Minister of Newfoundland|years=1932–1934}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Commission of Government]]}}
{{S-end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1936 deaths]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of the Dominion of Newfoundland]]
[[Category:Politicians from Belfast]]
[[Category:Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:People educated at Methodist College Belfast]]
[[Category:United Newfoundland Party MHAs]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland]]
[[Category:Members of the Newfoundland Commission of Government]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Belfast]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly]]