{{short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Jim Hewitt | caption = | constituency_AM1 = Boundary-Similkameen | assembly1 = British Columbia Legislative | term_start1 = December 11, 1975 | term_end1 = December 10, 1987 | predecessor1 = Frank Richter, Jr. | successor1 = Bill Barlee | alongside1 = Ivan Messmer <small>(1986-1987)</small> | party = Social Credit | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1933|1|28}} | birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | spouse = {{marriage|Sheila Hewitt||1980|reason=div.}}<br>{{marriage|Dorothy Merle Barber|1980|February 28, 2021|reason=died}} | occupation = }}
'''James J. Hewitt''' (born January 28, 1933) is a retired Canadian politician who represented the riding of Boundary-Similkameen in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1975 to 1987.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LegUAAAAYAAJ&q=%22HEWITT,+James+J.+%E2%80%94+Minister+of+Agriculture,+Province+of+British+Columbia,+Parliament+Buildings,+Victoria,+British+Columbia.+Born+Toronto+******%22|title = Who's who in Canada: An Illustrated Biographical Record of Men and Women of the Time|year = 1977 | last1=Parker | first1=Charles Whately | last2=Greene | first2=Barnet M. }}</ref> A member of the Social Credit Party, he held several ministerial roles in the Executive Council of British Columbia under premiers Bill Bennett and Bill Vander Zalm.
==Biography== Hewitt was born and raised in Toronto, then moved to Vancouver in 1962 where he attained his accounting designation.<ref name="SR190206">{{Cite news|url=https://www.summerlandreview.com/news/former-mla-and-wife-give-back-to-community-4166900|title = Former MLA and wife give back to community|publisher=Summerland Review |date=2019-02-06 |accessdate=2025-10-27 }}</ref> He settled in the Okanagan in 1967, and worked as a manager at the Penticton and District Credit Union; he was elected Penticton alderman in 1969.<ref name="SR190206"/>
He ran as a Social Credit candidate in the 1975 provincial election, and was elected member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Boundary-Similkameen.<ref name="elections">{{cite web |url=https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf |title=Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986 |pages=323, 333, 341 |publisher=Elections BC |accessdate=2025-10-27}}</ref>{{rp|323}} Initially without a cabinet post, he was named Minister of Agriculture in October 1976 by Premier Bill Bennett, then served as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources from December 1978 to November 1979.<ref name="Exco">{{cite web|url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/47984/execouncil.pdf|title=British Columbia Executive Council Appointments: 1871-1986|first1=Judith Antonik |last1=Bennett|first2=Frederike |last2=Verspoor|pages=69|publisher=British Columbia Legislative Library|year=1989|accessdate=2025-10-18}}</ref> After winning re-election in May 1979,<ref name="elections"/>{{rp|333}} he regained the agriculture portfolio, which was re-titled to Minister of Agriculture and Food in August 1980.<ref name="Exco"/> He was re-assigned as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs in August 1982, and kept that post following his re-election in 1983 before becoming Minister of Education in February 1986.<ref name="elections"/>{{rp|341}}<ref name="Exco"/>
Hewitt was named Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries after Bill Vander Zalm became premier in August 1986.<ref name="VanderZalmMinistry">{{cite web|title=Vander Zalm Cabinet: 33rd-34th Parliament 1986–1991 |url=http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/vanderzalmcabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2025-10-23}}</ref> Boundary-Similkameen became a two-member district in that October's election; Hewitt was re-elected there alongside Ivan Messmer.<ref name="Tyee050404">{{Cite web|url=https://thetyee.ca/Election/Battleground/2005/04/04/Okanagan/print.html|title = The Okanagan, a Liberal Stronghold|publisher=The Tyee |first=Will |last=McMartin |date=2005-04-04 |accessdate=2025-10-27 }}</ref> He was not given a cabinet position,<ref name="VanderZalmMinistry"/> and resigned as MLA in December 1987 over disagreements with Vander Zalm;<ref name="Tyee050404"/><ref>{{cite web |title=A checklist of members of the Legislature of British Columbia |url=http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/checklist_of_mlas.pdf |publisher=Legislative Library of British Columbia |access-date=2022-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627222059/http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/checklist_of_mlas.pdf |archive-date=2013-06-27 |date=2013-05-16 |url-status=dead}}</ref> he subsequently served seven years as chairman of the Farm Credit Corporation.<ref name="SR190206"/> Although retired from elected politics, Hewitt actively campaigned against the province's 2009 electoral reform referendum.<ref>{{cite news |title=A political shock to the system |url=http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/pentictonwesternnews/news/43394512.html |publisher=Penticton Western News |first=Steve |last=Kidd |date=April 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513033051/http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/pentictonwesternnews/news/43394512.html |archive-date=2009-05-13 }}</ref>
He met Dorothy Barber when she worked on his campaign in 1979;<ref name="SR190206"/> they were married in 1980.<ref name="DorothyObit">{{Cite web|url=https://www.everdenrust.com/obituaries/Dorothy-Merle-Hewitt?obId=20164335|title = Dorothy Merle Hewitt Obituary |accessdate=2025-10-27 }}</ref> He has four children with his first wife Sheila.<ref name="DorothyObit"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ndVAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22Jim+Hewitt%22&pg=PA12&article_id=2432,65392|title = Agricultural minister loses family because of politics|newspaper=Regina Leader-Post |agency=Canadian Press |date=1980-02-01 |accessdate=2025-10-28 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before = ''himself'' | title = Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of British Columbia | after = John Savage | years = August 14, 1986 – November 6, 1986 }} {{succession box | before = Thomas Waterland | title = Minister of Agriculture and Food of British Columbia | after = ''himself'' | years = August 7, 1986 – August 14, 1986 }} {{succession box | before = Jack Heinrich | title = Minister of Education of British Columbia | after = Anthony Brummet | years = February 11, 1986 – August 14, 1986 }} {{succession box | before = Peter Hyndman | title = Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs of British Columbia | after = Elwood Veitch | years = August 10, 1982 – February 11, 1986 }} {{succession box | before = Cyril Morley Shelford | title = Minister of Agriculture and Food of British Columbia<br><small>Minister of Agriculture (1979-1980)</small> | after = Harvey Schroeder | years = June 5, 1979 – August 10, 1982 }} {{succession box | before = Bill Bennett (Energy)<br>James Chabot (Mines and Petroleum Resources) | title = Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources of British Columbia | after = Bob McClelland | years = December 5, 1978 – November 24, 1979 }} {{succession box | before = Don Phillips | title = Minister of Agriculture of British Columbia | after = Cyril Morley Shelford | years = October 29, 1976 – December 5, 1978 }} {{s-end}} {{Vander Zalm Ministry}} {{Bill Bennett Ministry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewitt, Jim}} Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:British Columbia municipal councillors Category:British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Category:Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Category:Ministers of education of British Columbia Category:People from Penticton Category:Politicians from Toronto Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia