John Robert Boyle

John Robert Boyle
Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta
In office
February 2, 1922 – April 12, 1924
Preceded byAlbert Ewing
Succeeded byCharles R. Mitchell
Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party
In office
1922–1924
Preceded byCharles Stewart
Succeeded byCharles R. Mitchell
Alberta Attorney General
In office
August 23, 1918 – July 18, 1921
Preceded byCharles Wilson Cross
Succeeded byJohn Edward Brownlee
Alberta Minister of Education
In office
May 4, 1912 – August 26, 1918
Preceded byCharles R. Mitchell
Succeeded byGeorge P. Smith
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
July 18, 1921 – August 27, 1924
ConstituencyEdmonton
In office
November 9, 1905 – July 18, 1921
Preceded byNew District
Succeeded bySamuel Carson
ConstituencySturgeon
Alderman on the Edmonton City Council
In office
December 12, 1904 – May 7, 1906
Personal details
BornFebruary 1 or 3, 1870 or 1871
Sykeston, Ontario
DiedFebruary 15, 1936
(aged 65–66)
Ottawa, Ontario
Political partyAlberta Liberal Party
SpouseDora Shaw (2 children)
ProfessionLawyer

John Robert Boyle KC (February 3, 1871 – February 15, 1936) was a Canadian politician and jurist who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, a cabinet minister in the Government of Alberta, and a judge on the Supreme Court of Alberta. Born in Ontario, he came west and eventually settled in Edmonton, where he practiced law. After a brief stint on Edmonton's first city council, he was elected in Alberta's inaugural provincial election as a Liberal. During the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway scandal, he was a leader of the Liberal insurgency that forced Premier Alexander Cameron Rutherford from office.

Though initially left out of cabinet by Arthur Sifton, Rutherford's successor, Boyle was named Minister of Education in 1912. He served in this capacity until 1918, during which time he alienated many non-English speakers by insisting on a unilingual English school system. In 1918 he was made Attorney-General. He retained his seat in the legislature after the Liberal defeat in the 1921 election and briefly served as leader of the Liberal opposition, but was appointed to the bench in 1924. He was still a judge when he died in 1936.