Victor Quelch

Captain Victor Quelch (December 13, 1891 in Georgetown, British Guiana – September 1975 ) was a farmer, a soldier in the Canadian Army, and was also a long serving Canadian federal politician.

Military service
Quelch served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I from 1914 to 1918, during his distinguished military career he achieved the rank of Captain and was awarded the prestigious Military Cross for bravery.

Political career
Quelch first ran for public office in the 1935 Canadian federal election as a candidate from the Social Credit Party of Canada in the Acadia district in Alberta. In that election he defeated incumbent Robert Gardiner and two other candidates in a landslide victory. Quelch stood for re-election for a second term in office in the 1940 Canadian federal election. He just barely retained his seat winning by a plurality of 27 votes, one of the closest contests in that election defeating Liberal candidate Arthur Day, whom he had previously faced in 1935.

Quelch was re-elected to his 3rd term in the 1945 Canadian federal election by a much more comfortable margin, and was re-elected to a 4th term in the 1949 Canadian federal election. In 1950 Quelch was appointed by Liberal Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent to serve as one of six members from all parties as a Parliamentary adviser to the Canadian staff to the United Nations Assembly.

He was re-elected to his 5th term in office in the 1953 Canadian federal election. In that election he once again faced and defeated Liberal candidate Arthur Day for the 3rd time in another close election. Quelch would run for his final term in office in the 1957 Canadian federal election he won in a landslide and retired from federal politics a year later when the government dissolved in 1958. Over his 23 years of service in the Canadian House of Commons he served as critic for finance, agriculture and fisheries.

Quelch died in September 1975, but an oversight occurred and no tribute was paid to him as was custom with deceased former members from the Canadian House of Commons. Twenty-four years later, Member of Parliament David Chatters paid tribute to the memory of Victor Quelch during the Statements by Members period on December 15, 1999. Victor Quelch's great-granddaughter was working for Mr. Chatters at the time and she wrote the tribute read by Mr. Chatters.