Henry Wise Wood

Henry Wise Wood was an Americanborn Canadian agrarian thinker and activist. He became director in 1914 and was elected president of the United Farmers of Alberta in 1916. Under his leadership the UFA became the most powerful political lobby group in the province. In 1919, Wood oversaw the transition of the UFA into a political party and in 1921 they formed the government of Alberta, winningof 61 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Wood refused to enter electoral politics himself but led the UFAs extraparliamentary organization throughout, and influenced the elected government from the sidelines.

Wood was born on a farm near Monroe City, Missouri to a prosperous farming family with land holding in Missouri and Texas. He became an accomplished stockman while still a teenager. At the age of 44 he visited Alberta and the following year purchased a wheat farm and moved his family to Carstairs, Alberta.

Source: Wikipedia