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William Morris Graham

William Morris Graham (b. 11 January 1867-28 March 1940) was a Canadian civil servant born in Ottawa, Canada and raised in Winnipeg.Graham worked to assimilate natives of Canada to work better with federal policies, for which he received acclaim, specifically for his work in the File Hills Colony.

Early Life

Graham was one of nine children born to James Fleming Graham, a lumberman. As a child he often visited Indian reserves with his father, and after finishing his education at Winnipeg's Manitoba College in 1885, he decided to pursue a career with the Department of Indian Affairs.

Career

Early Career

Graham's first appointment was as a clerk in Birtle Agency, and in 1887 he was moved to the North-West Territories for a similar position in at the Moose Mountain Agency. He stayed there until 1895 when he was assigned to the office of Indian Commissioner in Regina. During the autumn of 1896 he was made acting Indian agent to File Hills, and performed so well his position was made permanent on July 13th 1897. In 1898 Graham transferred natives to the Peepeekeesis Reserve, specifically choosing graduates of industrial schools, and placed them in a colony under Graham's strict supervision. He saw these colonies as an oppurtunity to finish the job that the residential schools had started. The natives became self-sufficient farmers, and journalists would come and tour the colony where they were impressed by the neat churches, cottages and gardens. The success of this project attracted attention and in 1904 Graham was made inspector of Indian agencies for the South Saskatchewan Inspectorate. Graham saw little potential for reserves that he could not be always present in, and he sold these lands to European settlers.

In August of 1917, Graham drafted a plan to open reserve lands and an interest-free loan for veterans of the First World War. This plan provided veterans with free quarter sections of land and a $2,500 interest-free loan.By 1922, $16,363,585 had been loaned to 4,095 veterans in Saskatchewan, while only 3,251 men took the land.Graham made several attempts to be promoted to the position of deputy superintendent general, the highest position in his department. When the position became available, he hoped his reputation and his wife's relation to Arthur Meighen would secure him the position, however the appointment was given Duncan Campbell Scott, a long serving bureaucrat.

Indian Commissioner of Prairie Region

The position of Indian Commissioner of the Prairie Region had previously been abolished, but was brought back when Graham was appointed to it in July of 1920. Graham had a strained relation ship with Scott, as Graham was convinced that only he knew how to solve the “Indian problem". Graham wanted to be autonomous in his operations. He thought he could gain the power he sought by succeeding Scott after his retirement. However his chances were hurt when he was mentioned in the House of Commons in relation to his dishonest means of obtaining a lease. In 1932, the position of Indian Commissioner was abolished forcing him into retirement. Graham spent the rest of his days living quietly in Regina until his death on March 28 1940 of a stroke.