Joseph Stauffer


Lieutenant Joseph Emmett Stauffer was a teacher, politician and soldier from Alberta, Canada.

Political career

Stauffer was elected to the Alberta Legislature in the 1909 Alberta legislature. In that election he defeated incumbent Cornelius Hiebert in a landslide in the new Didsbury district.
He was re-elected to a second term in office in the 1913 Alberta legislature, winning with a comfortable but reduced plurality.

Military career

Stauffer enlisted in the Canadian Forces and served overseas with the Canadian Infantry 50th Battalion in World War I. He kept his seat in the provincial legislature while he was overseas fighting in the war. On April 10, 1917 he was killed in action during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Lieutenant governor Robert Brett honored Stauffer's memory and military service by making special note in the Throne Speech at the opening of the 4th Alberta Legislative Assembly on February 7, 1918.
The small town of Stauffer, Alberta is named in his honor.