Thomas Walter Scott (October 27, 1867 – March 23, 1938) was the first premier of Saskatchewan from 1905 to 1916. Scott was Saskatchewan's second longest-serving Premier, serving one continuous term from 1905 to 1916). He led the Saskatchewan Liberal Party in three general elections, winning all three with majority governments before retiring. He was the first of six Liberal Premiers to date. He was succeeded by William Melville Martin. Scott was also the minister of various departments during his tenure as premier. Prior to the creation of Saskatchewan in 1905, Scott was a Member of Parliament in the federal House of Commons of Canada, elected in the general elections of 1900 and 1904.
As the province’s first leader, he built its administrative framework and governance structures. He prioritized railway expansion and public works, improving rail transportation and connectivity. Scott was instrumental in developing Saskatchewan’s education system, including funding for schools and teacher training as well as a university. He introduced policies to strengthen local governments, ensuring better services for communities. His leadership encouraged agricultural development, helping Saskatchewan become a key player in Canada’s economy.
Early life
Scott was born in 1867 in London Township, Ontario, in rural southwestern Ontario, the child of George Scott and Isabella Telfer. He was born out of wedlock, a fact he kept secret for his entire life. and then – at the age of 19 – to Regina, the capital of the North-West Territories, in 1886. He worked for and then ran a number of newspapers which supported the Liberal Party of Canada.
During this period, Scott gained a measure of fame as pitcher for a local baseball team.
Federal politics: Creation of Saskatchewan
In 1900, Scott ran as a Liberal in the federal riding of Assiniboia West and was elected to the House of Commons. He was re-elected in 1904. During the discussions about creating provinces out of the North-West Territories, Scott initially supported territorial Premier Frederick Haultain's proposal to create one big province (to be named "Buffalo") out of what is today Alberta and Saskatchewan – but then converted to the two-province option favoured by Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal government.
In February 1905, the federal Government of Canada introduced legislation to create the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan effective July 1, 1905 (Dominion Day). Premier Haultain was resolutely opposed to this legislation since 1) he wanted one big province, not two provinces; and 2) under the terms of the legislation, the federal government retained jurisdiction over public land. Haultain's opposition – along with opposition in the Commons to the act's provisions for denominational separate schools – delayed the passage of the bill. It did not receive royal assent as the Saskatchewan Act until July 20. It came into force on September 1, 1905, creating the province of Saskatchewan.
On August 16, 1905, the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan held a leadership convention. Scott was the lone candidate. Prime Minister Laurier therefore appointed Amédée E. Forget, the Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories since 1898, as the first Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. Forget then named the 37-year-old Scott as Premier of Saskatchewan. Some believed that he acted on the advice of Laurier while he was staying with Forget at Government House for the celebration of the creation of Saskatchewan, but Laurier denied having given that advice. now began a search for a suitable location for the new Legislative Building. They agreed to develop the area around the legislature into a public park (Wascana Park), which is today the largest urban park in North America. Following a design competition, the commission for the new Legislative Building was awarded to Maxwells of Montreal in December 1907.
In 1907, Scott appointed the province's first Royal Commission, the Municipal Commission, to study the issue of local government. This resulted in the Rural Municipality Act of 1908–9, which created nearly 300 Rural Municipalities (a form of local government unique to Saskatchewan and Manitoba) which are each in area. During this period, Scott was the first Commissioner, then Minister, for Municipal Affairs, in addition to his duties as premier. In 1906, the Scott government spent nearly $100,000 on highway construction – a figure which would increase tenfold over the course of Scott's first term in office. During this period, Scott also served as the Commissioner of Railways.
Scott had longed opposed the prohibition of alcohol, This move would prove inadequate in the following months, as both Alberta and Manitoba enacted Prohibition. Sensing the sign of the times, Scott held a provincial referendum on the topic – the first time women had been allowed to vote in Saskatchewan – and in December 1916, 80% of Saskatchewan voters voted to ban alcohol in the province.
Scott's departure from politics by this time was virtually certain, for two main reasons. First, he had become increasingly prone to bouts of depression – with his outburst against his own pastor, Murdoch Mackinnon, during the debate about educational policy, serving as indication to his supporters that he was no longer entirely up for the job of premier. He was in office for a total of . Scott led the provincial Liberals in three general elections, winning majority governments in all three (1905, 1908, 1912).
Scott was elected three times to the Legislative Assembly and twice to the federal House of Commons. He was never defeated at the polls.
Scott is one of only four Saskatchewan premiers to win three or more majority governments, the others being Tommy Douglas, Allan Blakeney, and Brad Wall. Scott and the Liberals won over 50% of the popular vote in each of the three general elections, and also increased their number of seats in the second and third elections. The only other Saskatchewan premier to match this feat to date has been Brad Wall.
Saskatchewan general elections, 1905 to 1912
1905 General election
The first general election matched Scott and the Liberals against Haultain, former Premier of the North-West Territories, and the Provincial Rights Party. Scott and the Liberals won a substantial majority over Haultain.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Saskatchewan General Election: December 13, 1905
|-
!colspan="2"|Party !! Leaders!! Candidates !! Seats Won !! Popular Vote !! Popular Vote Percentage
|-
|Liberal||Walter Scott<sup>1</sup>||align=center|25 ||align=center|16 || align=center|17,812 || align=center| 52.25%
|-
|Frederick Haultain<sup>2</sup> ||align=center|24 ||align=center|9 ||align=center|16,184 || align=center|47.47%
|-
|Independent||align=center|–||align=center|1 ||align=center|0 ||align=center|94 || align=center|0.28%
|-
! colspan=3 |Total !! 50 !! 25 !! 34,090 !! 100.00%
|-
| align="center" colspan=7 |Source: Elections Saskatchewan – Elections Results – 1905
|}
<sup>1</sup> Premier of Saskatchewan when election was called; Premier after the election.<br>
<sup>2</sup> Premier of the North-West Territories prior to creation of Saskatchewan; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
1908 General election
Scott again led the Liberal Party in the second general election, on August 14, 1908. Haultain was again his opponent, for the Provincial Rights Party. Scott was returned to office.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Saskatchewan General Election: August 14, 1908
|-
!colspan="2"|Party
!Leaders!! Candidates !! Seats Won !! Popular Vote !! Popular Vote Percentage
|-
|Liberal||Walter Scott<sup>1</sup>||align=center|41 ||align=center|27 || align=center|29,807 || align=center| 50.79%
|-
|Frederick Haultain<sup>2</sup> ||align=center|40 ||align=center|14 ||align=center|28,099 || align=center|47.88%
|-
|Independent-Liberal||align=center|– ||align=center|1 ||align=center|0 ||align=center|394 || align=center|0.67%
|-
|Independent||align=center|– ||align=center|2 ||align=center|0 ||align=center|387 || align=center|0.66%
|-
! colspan=3 |Total
! 84
! 41
! 58,687
! 100.00%
|-
| align="center" colspan=7|Source: Elections Saskatchewan – Elections Results – 1908
|}
<sup>1</sup> Premier when election was called; Premier after the election.<br>
<sup>2</sup> Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
1912 General election
Scott again led the Liberal Party in the third general election, on July 11, 1912. The Provincial Rights Party by this time had re-named itself the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, now led by Wellington Willoughby. Scott was returned to office.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Saskatchewan General Election: July 11, 1912
|-
!colspan="2"|Party !!Leaders !! Candidates !! Seats Won !! Popular Vote !! Popular Vote Percentage
|-
|Liberal||Walter Scott<sup>1</sup>||align=center|53 ||align=center|45 || align=center|50,004 || align=center| 56.96%
|-
|Wellington Willoughby<sup>2</sup>||align=center|53 ||align=center|7 ||align=center|36,848 || align=center|41.98%
|-
|Independent||align=center|– ||align=center|5 ||align=center|1 ||align=center|934 || align=center|1.06%
|-
|Vacant<sup>3</sup>||align=center|– ||align=center|(1) ||align=center|(1) ||align=center|– || align=center|–
|-
! colspan=3 |Total !!112 !! 54 !! 87,786 !! 100.00%
|-
| align="center" colspan=7 |Source: Elections Saskatchewan – Elections Results – 1912
|}
<sup>1</sup> Premier when election was called; Premier after the election.<br>
<sup>2</sup> Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election. <br>
<sup>3</sup> The Legislative Assembly had 54 seats, but the election in Cumberland was declared void, resulting in a vacancy in the Assembly until a by-election was called on September 8, 1913.
Saskatchewan constituency elections
Scott stood for election to the Legislative Assembly three times, in two different ridings. He was elected each time.
1905 General election: Lumsden
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Saskatchewan General Election, 1905: Lumsden
|-
!colspan="2"|Party
!Candidate!!Popular Vote!! %
|-
|Liberal|| E Walter Scott ||align=center|913 ||align=center| 56.6%
|-
|Provincial Rights || Frederick Clarke Tate ||align=center|701||align=center| 43.4%
|-
! colspan=3 align=center|Total!! align=right| 1,614 !! align=right| 100.0%
|-
| align="center" colspan=5|Source: Saskatchewan Archives – Election Results by Electoral Division
1900 General election: Assiniboia West
1904 General election: Assiniboia West
Life after public office
Scott travelled widely in the years following his departure from public life in 1916. His mental health never allowed him to re-engage in politics or public affairs, nor any significant employment. He ultimately settled in Victoria, British Columbia, with his wife. His mental health did not improve and in 1936 he was committed to a private psychiatric home in Ontario for well-off patients. He died there in 1938 and is buried in Victoria. The circumstances of his death were not made public in Saskatchewan.
A bust of Scott was commissioned by the provincial government as part of its "Millennial Busts" project.
Scott Collegiate, a high school in Regina, is named after Scott.