James Thomas Milton Anderson

Who was James Thomas Milton Anderson?

James Thomas Milton Anderson was Saskatchewan's fifth Premier and the first Conservative to hold the office.

Anderson was chosen leader of the Conservatives in 1924, and was one of three Tory Members of the Legislative Assembly elected in the 1925 election.

In the 1929 election, the Tories were able to exploit patronage scandals surrounding the Liberal government of Premier Jimmy Gardiner to achieve a major breakthrough – winning 24 seats. The Liberals won 28 seats, while 5 went to the Progressive Party, and the remaining 4 to independents. The Liberals tried to form a minority government, but were defeated in a Motion of No Confidence. This allowed Anderson to form a "Co-operative government", a coalition between the Tories, Progressives and Independents.

Anderson was accused of working closely with the Ku Klux Klan, which was a major force in the province in the late 1920s and early 1930s with an estimated 25,000 members. Pat Emmons, a senior Klan defector, alleged that Anderson and Klan officials would regularly meet; while the Liberals accused the Tories of being a front for the Klan.