William Antrobus Griesbach - Pre-war Political Career

Pre-war Political Career

Griesbach's first bid for political office took place in the 1903 Edmonton election, when he made an unsuccessful bid for election to Edmonton Town Council, placing fourth of nine candidates in an election in which the top three were elected. He was more successful in the 1904 election when he was elected to a one year term as an alderman to Edmonton's first city council placing eighth of seventeen candidates (in that first election as a city, Edmonton elected four aldermen to two year terms and four to one year terms, with the idea that four of the city's eight aldermen would be elected to two year terms each year). He was re-elected to a two year term in 1905, finishing first of ten candidates.

That same year, he ran as a Conservative in the riding of Edmonton in Alberta's first provincial election. He was defeated by Liberal Charles Cross, and continued his service on city council.

Griesbach resigned as alderman one year into his term in order to run for mayor in the 1906 election. He was victorious, collecting more than sixty percent of the vote in a three person race and becoming, at twenty-eight years old, the youngest mayor in the city's history, before or since. He served a one year term, but did not seek re-election and stayed out of municipal politics thereafter.

He ran as a Conservative in the 1911 federal election, finishing second of three candidates in the riding of Edmonton (the victorious candidate was Liberal Frank Oliver).

Griesbach's final involvement in provincial politics would come during the 1913 election, when he ran as a Conservative in Edmonton. He finished fourth of five candidates.