Al Adair

{{short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Al "Boomer" Adair | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1929|5|13}} | birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | death_date = {{Death date and age|1996|12|24|1929|5|13}} | death_place = Peace River, Alberta, Canada | office = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Peace River | term_start = August 30, 1971 | term_end = June 15, 1993 | predecessor = Robert Wiebe | successor = Gary Friedel | party = Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta | children = | occupation = }}

'''James Allen "Al" "Boomer" Adair''' (May 13, 1929 – December 24, 1996) was a minor league baseball player, radio broadcaster and politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1993.

==Early life== Adair played minor league baseball for the Peace River Stampeders in the North Peace Baseball League in the 1960s.<ref name="64stamp">{{cite web|url=http://www.attheplate.com/wcbl/1964_1g.htm |title=1964 Peace River Stampeders |publisher=Western Canada Baseball |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108041603/http://www.attheplate.com/wcbl/1964_1g.htm |archivedate=November 8, 2006 }}</ref> After baseball he was a well known radio broadcaster in Peace River until he ran for political office in 1971.<ref name="discover">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverthepeacecountry.com/htmlpages/peaceriver.html|title=Peace River, Alberta|publisher=Discover The Peace Country.com|accessdate=2008-05-19}}</ref>

==Political career== Adair first ran for the Alberta legislature in the 1971 general election. Running as a candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party, he defeated incumbent Social Credit MLA Robert Wiebe in the electoral district of Peace River.<ref name="elec1">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1971&Constit=Peace_River |title=Peace River election results 1971 |publisher=Alberta Heritage Foundation |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612185115/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1971&Constit=Peace_River |archivedate=2011-06-12 }}</ref> He was appointed to the cabinet by Premier Peter Lougheed and served as the minister without portfolio responsible for native affairs. Adair was re-elected in the 1975 general election over three other candidates.<ref name="elec2">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1975&Constit=Peace_River |title=Peace River election results 1975 |publisher=Alberta Heritage Foundation |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612185119/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1975&Constit=Peace_River |archivedate=2011-06-12 }}</ref> After the election, Lougheed appointed him Minister of Recreation, Parks and Wildlife.

In the 1979 Alberta general election, Adair easily defeated three other candidates to win the second highest popular vote of his political career.<ref name="elec3">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1979&Constit=Peace_River |title=Peace River election results 1979 |publisher=Alberta Heritage Foundation |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612185131/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1979&Constit=Peace_River |archivedate=2011-06-12 }}</ref> Adair reached the height of his popularity with a landslide win in the 1982 Alberta general election.<ref name="elec4">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1982&Constit=Peace_River |title=Peace River election results 1982 |publisher=Alberta Heritage Foundation |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612185136/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1982&Constit=Peace_River |archivedate=2011-06-12 }}</ref> When Don Getty became Premier in 1985, Adair became the new Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. After the 1986 general election he was transferred to the Ministry of Transportation and Utilities.<ref name="elec5">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1986&Constit=Peace_River |title=Peace River election results 1986 |publisher=Alberta Heritage Foundation |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612185306/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1986&Constit=Peace_River |archivedate=2011-06-12 }}</ref> In the 1989 Alberta general election he took 66% of the popular vote, the highest of his career.<ref name="elec6">{{cite web|url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1989&Constit=Peace_River |title=Peace River election results 1989 |publisher=Alberta Heritage Foundation |accessdate=2008-05-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612185452/http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/database/maps_choice.asp?Year=1989&Constit=Peace_River |archivedate=2011-06-12 }}</ref> Adair was left out of the cabinet when Ralph Klein became Premier in 1992. He retired from provincial politics with the dissolution of the Assembly in 1993.

==Late life== After retiring from politics, Adair co-authored a book with Frank J. Dolphin titled ''Boomer: My Life with Peter, Don and Ralph'', which was published in 1994 by Polar Bear Publishing.<ref name="book">{{cite web|url=http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Boomer-My_Life_with_Peter,_Don_and_Ralph/0969874103/|title=Boomer: My Life with Peter, Don and Ralph|publisher=Bookfinder.com|accessdate=2008-05-19}}</ref> He died of a heart attack on December 24, 1996, at the age of 67.<ref>Boomer' Adair dead at Age 67: [FINAL Edition] Slade, Daryl. Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] 26 Dec 1996: A.5.</ref><ref name="hansard">{{cite hansard|house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta|date=February 11, 1997|page=1|url=https://www.assembly.ab.ca/isys/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_23/session_5/19970211_1330_01_han.pdf|title=Alberta Hansard|format=PDF}}</ref> The Al 'Boomer' Adair Rec Centre in Peace River, Alberta, is named in his honor.<ref name="rec">{{cite web|url=http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Al+Adair&near=Peace+River,+AB&fb=1&view=text&latlng=2170129712914818262|title=Al 'Boomer' Adair Rec Centre|publisher=Google Maps|accessdate=2008-05-19}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== *{{cite book |last1=Adair |first1=Boomer |title=Boomer: my life with Peter, Don and Ralph |date=1994 |publisher=Polar Bear Publishing |location=Edmonton |isbn=0-9698741-0-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/boomermylifewith0000adai |url-access=registration |OCLC=987781240}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20101026192825/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/legislaturecentennial/pdf/membersBooklet.pdf Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing]

{{s-start}} {{s-par|ca-ab}} {{succession box| before=Robert Wiebe| title=MLA Peace River| years=1971–1993| after=Gary Friedel}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adair, Al}} Category:1929 births Category:1996 deaths Category:Canadian sportsperson-politicians Category:Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Category:Politicians from Edmonton Category:Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Category:Sportspeople from Edmonton Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta