Alexander Lucas

Who was Alexander Lucas?

Alexander Lucas was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was the seventh mayor of the town of Calgary, Alberta and spent six years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia.

Lucas was born in Ontario in 1852, and was the third child of George Lucas and Elizabeth Cowan. On January 10, 1878, he married Jane Frances "Jennie" Tanner. Together, they had two children, Fredrick and Edward. Both of their sons became prominent lawyers in BC; Fred was appointed to the Supreme Court Bench of BC in 1935.

In 1886, Lucas moved to Calgary. Here he became a partner in a land, insurance and auctioning company. He was the publisher of the Calgary Herald and helped found the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has a room named in his honour. In 1891, he spent one one-year term as a town councilor. This was followed by two one-year terms as the mayor of Calgary.

Lucas ran for a seat in the 1894 Northwest Territories general election in the West Calgary electoral district. He was defeated finishing second in the three way race behind Oswald Critchley. Later that year he ran and was elected as an alderman is what had now become the City of Calgary.