Non-Partisan Association - Early Years

Early Years

The NPA's first civic election effort was a failure because a member of the executive, Colonel Nelson Spencer, broke away and ran for mayor after the NPA chose George Miller as its candidate instead of Spencer. The result was the right wing vote was split, and socialist Lyle Telford was elected. Telford would only serve one term before Jack Cornett was elected in the 1940 election, beginning the NPAs longstanding dominance of Vancouver's City Hall.