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From 1949 till
the day he died, "Joey" was affectionately known as the only living
father of Confederation. But the love was divided in the late
1940's when Smallwood began his crusade to make Newfoundland a
province of Canada.
Gambo's
favorite son moved to St. John's when he was a small boy and from
there he grew into reporters jobs in Halifax and New York. He
returned home as union organizer and he lost his first run at
political office in 1932.
A couple of
years later Smallwood was still at the press game, writing a column
for the Daily News in St. John's. His "Barrelman" newspaper column
wound up as a radio show with a deep following across
Newfoundland.
From a pig
farm in central Newfoundland Joey started his second run at
politics in 1945 as a candidate who was convinced that the
country's economic salvation lay in confederation with Canada. By
1947 he was among a delegation sent to Ottawa to start negotiations
to make Newfoundland the tenth province in the Dominion.
Not everyone
shared Joey's vision of what union with Canada would mean for
Newfoundlanders. His pitch for economic security was countered by
the nationalist stab that Newfoundland was surrendering her
independence as a nation. Smallwood's confederates won the 1948
referendum by a slim majority. But it was enough to deliver the
province to Canada and Joey became the first premier under
confederation in 1949.
It's a position he held for 23 turbulent years. Joey's tenure is marked by
the controversial program of resettlement that forced throusands of
people out of remote outport communities. His economic programs are
remembered for the chocolate and rubber boot factories and the
economic guru he hired who was charged with misusing government
funds and taking bribes.
Election after
election Newfoundlanders returned Smallwood to office. He won
himself a tough reputation for standing up to the federal
government in Ottawa. In some Newfoundland homes you may still find
a picture of Joey hanging on the wall where older generations still
remember the early days of Newfoundland's entry into Canada.
After losing
the government to the tories in the early 1970's, Smallwood stepped
down. After he lost a bid for the Liberal leadership, Joey struck
out to start up his own party. That kept him in politics until
1977.
After politics,
Joey embarked on an ambitious project that would continue even
after he died in the early 1990's. The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland
and Labrador is a detailed account of a land where Joey Smallwood
left his own deep impressions on the people and their history.