Don Getty | |
|---|---|
 Getty in the 1990s | |
| 11th Premier of Alberta | |
| In office November 1, 1985 – December 14, 1992 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Helen Hunley Gordon Towers |
| Preceded by | Peter Lougheed |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Klein |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| In office May 23, 1967 – August 30, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Randolph McKinnon |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Constituency | Strathcona West |
| In office August 30, 1971 – March 14, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Peter Knaak |
| Constituency | Edmonton-Whitemud |
| In office December 11, 1985 – March 20, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Alexander |
| Succeeded by | Percy Wickman |
| Constituency | Edmonton-Whitemud |
| In office May 9, 1989 – December 14, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Brian Downey |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Constituency | Stettler |
| Minister of Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs | |
| In office September 10, 1971 – March 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Portfolio established |
| Succeeded by | Lou Hyndman |
| Minister of Energy and Natural Resources | |
| In office March 1975 – March 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Portfolio established |
| Succeeded by | Merv Leitch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald Ross Getty August 30, 1933 Westmount, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | February 26, 2016 (aged 82) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse | Margaret Mitchell |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
| Occupation | Businessman, professional athlete |
| Signature |  |
| Football career | |
| No. 27, 87 | |
 Getty after winning the 44th Grey Cup in 1956 | |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | QB |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| College | Western Ontario |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1955–1965 | Edmonton Eskimos |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | 2× Grey Cup (1955, 1956) Outstanding Canadian, Western Interprovincial Football Union (1959) Runner up, Schenley Award (1959) |
| Honors | Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour, 1992 |
Donald Ross Getty OC AOE (August 30, 1933 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 11th premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. A member of the Progressive Conservatives, he served as Energy Minister and Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister in the government of Peter Lougheed before leaving politics for the private sector in 1979. He returned to politics six years later to enter the Progressive Conservative leadership contest resulting from Lougheed's retirement. He defeated two other candidates, and became Premier November 1, 1985.
As Premier, Getty was faced with an economic slowdown and falling energy prices, which hit Alberta's petroleum-dominated economy hard. Faced with mounting government deficits and increasing unemployment, he cut social spending and intervened with government money to prevent businesses from failing. Several of these interventions backfired in high-profile fashion, failing at their intended objective and costing scarce public funds as well. While some analysts argue that Getty's fiscal program laid the groundwork for Ralph Klein's later balancing of the provincial budget, on Getty's departure from office the government's debt had reached $11 billion, setting the stage for his successor to characterize the Getty years as an era of wasteful and excessive spending.
His efforts at strengthening Alberta's presence in Canada initially appeared more successful, as he won the agreement of Canada's other first ministers in including elements of Senate reform in the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, but these efforts came to naught when both accords were rejected—the second by the Canadian public, including a majority of Albertans. Getty was also facing political problems within Alberta, including a defeat in his home riding of Edmonton-Whitemud in the 1989 election (leading to a successful by-election in Stettler, vacated by a P.C. MLA) and leadership machinations from some of his own ministers. In light of this, he resigned the Premiership in 1992.
Before entering politics, Getty had been a quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He passed for more than eight thousand yards over his ten-year career, and was put on the team's Wall of Fame in 1992.