Winston Backus

Winston Osler Backus (October 12, 1920 – June 15, 2020) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1979, and he served as Minister of Public Works in the cabinet of Premier Peter Lougheed from 1971 to 1975. The son of Percy Lavern and Verna Henrietta Backus, he was born in Eckville, Alberta in 1920.^[2] He died in June 2020 at the age of 99.^[3]

Winston O. Backus
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office 1971–1979
Preceded by	Ira McLaughlin
Succeeded by	Elmer Borstad
Constituency	Grande Prairie
Minister of Public Works
In office September 10, 1971 – March 1975
Preceded by	Albert Ludwig
Succeeded by	William Yurko
Personal details
Born	Winston Osler Backus (1920-10-12)October 12, 1920 Eckville, Alberta, Canada
Died	June 15, 2020(2020-06-15) (aged 99) Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s)	Valmai Rubena Hughes[1] Myrtle Ruth Loewen (m.1971)
Children	David, Richard, Robert, Elizabeth; step-children: Reid, Wayne, Donald, Myrna
Alma mater	University of London
Occupation	doctor, surgeon

Political career

Backus ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1971 Alberta general election. He defeated Social Credit candidate William Bowes by a few hundred votes in the electoral district of Grande Prairie to pick up the district for the Progressive Conservatives.^[4] After the election Premier Peter Lougheed appointed Backus Minister of Public Works in his first cabinet. In the 1975 general election he was returned to office with a landslide victory over three other candidates.^[5] Backus was left out of cabinet after the 1975 election. He served out the rest of his term as a private member and retired at dissolution of the assembly in 1979.