Richard Mather (July 20, 1941 – August 13, 1997) was a municipal politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of Edmonton city council from 1995 until his death in 1997. He also served as a public school trustee from 1983 to 1995.

Richard "Dick" Mather
City of Edmonton Public School Trustee
In office
October 17, 1983 – October 16, 1989
ConstituencyAt Large
In office
October 16, 1989 – October 16, 1995
Preceded byNew Ward
Succeeded byWard Abolished
ConstituencyWard 6
City of Edmonton Alderman
In office
October 16, 1995 – October 26, 1998
Serving with Terry Cavanagh
Preceded bySheila McKay
Succeeded byDave Thiele
ConstituencyWard 6
Personal details
BornJuly 20, 1941
Edmonton, Alberta
DiedAugust 13, 1997(1997-08-13) (aged 56)
Edmonton, Alberta
Political partyIndependent (municipal)
Representative (provincial)
SpouseWeslyn Mather

Early life

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Richard Mather was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on July 20, 1941. He married Weslyn Mather.[1]

Political career

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Mather ran for a seat as an Edmonton public school trustee in the 1983 Edmonton municipal election and won the fifth place seat out of 17 candidates in the at large vote. He was re-elected again in 1986, 1989, 1992 before retiring as a School Trustee in 1995. In 1989 Mather became the first President of the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta. He served in that role until 1991.[citation needed]

Mather was prominently involved in the Representative Party of Alberta. He ran for provincial office twice under the banner, losing both times. He first ran for the party as a candidate in a by-election held in Edmonton-Whitemud on December 11, 1985. Mather finished in third place, losing to Premier Don Getty, taking just over 8% of the popular vote.[citation needed]

He ran for party a second time in the 1986 Alberta general election in the electoral district of Edmonton-Mill Woods.[2] He would not do as well as the by-election and finished in fourth place, losing to New Democrat Gerry Gibeault.[3]

Mather left his position as a school trustee at the end of his term in 1995 to run as an Alderman in Ward 6. He won the second place seat finishing close behind front runner Terry Cavanagh. Mather died from a heart attack while still in his first term on August 13, 1997.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Biographies of Council Members". City of Edmonton. p. 53. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  2. ^ "Edmonton-Whitemud Official By-election Results". Elections Alberta. December 11, 1985. Archived from the original on June 7, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  3. ^ "Edmonton-Mill Woods results 1986 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 14, 2010.