| Cabinet Name: | Johnson ministry |
| Cabinet Type: | ministry |
| Cabinet Number: | 24th |
| Jurisdiction: | British Columbia |
| Flag: | Flag of British Columbia.svg |
| Flag Border: | true |
| Government Head Title: | Premier |
| Government Head: | Boss Johnson |
| State Head Title: | Monarch |
| State Head: |
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| Represented By Title: | Lieutenant Governor |
| Represented By: |
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| Political Parties: |
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| Opposition Party: |
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| Opposition Leader: |
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| Election: | 1949 |
| Legislature Term: | |
| Legislature Status: | |
| Predecessor: | Hart ministry |
| Successor: | W. A. C. Bennett ministry |
The Johnson ministry was the combined Cabinet (formally the Executive Council of British Columbia) that governed British Columbia from December 29, 1947, to August 1, 1952. It was led by Boss Johnson, the 24th premier of British Columbia, and was a coalition government that comprised members of both the Liberal Party and Progressive Conservative Party.
The Johnson ministry was established part-way through the 21st Parliament of British Columbia, after John Hart resigned as premier and leader of the Liberal Party. Johnson was elected as the Liberal Party's new leader at the party's 1947 convention, and outgoing premier Hart pledged to recommend Johnson to the lieutenant governor of British Columbia to be the province's next premier.[1] However, the Hart ministry had been a coalition between the Liberal and Conservative parties, and in the immediate aftermath of Johnson's leadership victory, it was uncertain if the two parties would renew their coalition arrangement. Johnson and Herbert Anscomb, leader of the Conservatives, agreed to continue the coalition on December 27, 1947.[2] The new cabinet, comprising six Liberals and four Conservatives, was sworn in two days later.[3]
The cabinet governed through the remainder of the 21st Parliament and, following the 1949 election, into the 22nd Parliament.[4] On January 18, 1952, the Progressive Conservatives left the coalition and moved to the opposition benches, becoming the Official Opposition. For the last six months of the 22nd Parliament, the Johnson ministry continued as a minority government, consisting only of Liberal ministers but supported by a few independent members.[5] After the 1952 election, it was replaced by the W. A. C. Bennett ministry.[6]
The Johnson ministry was the last time the Liberals formed government until the Campbell ministry in 2001. It is also the most recent coalition government in the province and the most recent time that the Conservative Party was in cabinet.
| Minister | Tenure | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| Premier of British Columbia | Boss Johnson | December 29, 1947 | August 1, 1952 | |
| Minister of Agriculture | Frank Putnam | December 29, 1947 | July 21, 1949 | |
| Henry Robson Bowman | July 21, 1949 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Attorney General | Gordon Sylvester Wismer | December 29, 1947 | August 1, 1952 | |
| Minister of Education | William Thomas Straith | December 29, 1947 | August 1, 1952 | |
| Minister of Finance | Herbert Anscomb | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| Boss Johnson | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Fisheries | Leslie Harvey Eyres | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| Henry Robson Bowman | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Health and Welfare | George Sharratt Pearson | December 29, 1947 | May 3, 1950 | |
| Alexander Douglas Turnbull | May 3, 1950 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Labour | Gordon Sylvester Wismer | December 29, 1947 | July 21, 1949 | |
| John Henry Cates | July 21, 1949 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Lands and Forests | Edward Tourtellotte Kenney | December 29, 1947 | August 1, 1952 | |
| Minister of Mines | Roderick Charles MacDonald | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| John Henry Cates | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Municipal Affairs | Roderick Charles MacDonald | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| Alexander Douglas Turnbull | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Provincial Secretary | George Sharratt Pearson | December 29, 1947 | May 3, 1950 | |
| William Thomas Straith | May 3, 1950 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Public Works | Ernest Crawford Carson | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| Edward Tourtellotte Kenney | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Railways | Leslie Harvey Eyres | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| Henry Robson Bowman | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
| Minister of Trade and Industry | Leslie Harvey Eyres | December 29, 1947 | January 19, 1952 | |
| Henry Robson Bowman | January 19, 1952 | August 1, 1952 | ||
Web site: British Columbia Executive Council Appointments (1871-1986) . 2023-05-17 . Legislative Library of British Columbia . 55–56.