Editing R. B. Bennett (section)

==Political, law, and business success (1897–1911)==
Despite his election to the Chatham Town Council, Bennett's days in the town were numbered. In 1897, he moved to [[Calgary]], [[Northwest Territories|North-West Territories]]. He negotiated to become the law partner of [[James Lougheed]], Calgary's richest man and most successful lawyer. By 1905, Bennett was buying and selling land and was successful at it due to the law firm's retainer being the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]]. Bennett also invested in the oil company, Calgary Petroleum Products Company, and became director and solicitor. He also worked with Aitken to produce the Alberta Pacific Grain Company, [[Canada Cement Company|Canada Cement]], and Calgary Power. Bennett's reputation grew.<ref name="BennettBio" /> Bennett described himself as a [[teetotaler]] (although he was known to occasionally drink alcohol when the press was not around).<ref name=English89>''Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson, volume 1, 1897–1948'', by [[John English (Canadian politician)|John English]], 1989, Vintage UK, p. 166-171.</ref>

[[File:Young R. B. Bennett.JPG|thumb|200px|Young R.&nbsp;B. Bennett, 1901]]
Bennett was elected to the [[Legislative Assembly of the North-West Territories]] in the [[1898 Northwest Territories general election|1898 general election]], representing the riding of [[West Calgary (N.W.T. electoral district)|West Calgary]].<ref name="BennettBio" /> Aitken managed this campaign too.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Bennett was re-elected to a second term in office in [[1902 North-West Territories general election|1902]] as an Independent in the North-West Territories legislature.<ref name="BennettBio" /> He gained the nickname "Bonfire Bennett" due to his extemporaneous, quick, and persuasive speaking manner.<ref name="BennettCanadianEncyclopedia">{{cite web |last1=Boyko |first1=John |last2=English |first2=John |title=R.B. Bennett |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/richard-bedford-viscount-bennett |website=Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=20 March 2022 |date=21 February 2008}}</ref>

In 1905, when [[Alberta]] was carved out of the Territories and made a [[Canadian province|province]], Bennett became the first leader of the [[Alberta Progressive Conservatives|Alberta Conservative Party]], though lost in a landslide in [[1905 Alberta general election|that year's election]] to the [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberals]]. In 1909, he won a seat in the provincial [[legislature]].<ref name="BennettBio" />

In 1908 Bennett was one of five people appointed to the first Library Board for the city of Calgary and was instrumental in establishing the [[Calgary Public Library]].<ref>E. Gorosh, Calgary's "Temple of Knowledge": A History of the Public Library. 1975 Century Calgary Publications. p.5.</ref> In 1910, Bennett became a director of Calgary Power Ltd. (now formally [[TransAlta Corporation]]) and just a year later he became president. His leadership projects completed included the first storage reservoir at [[Lake Minnewanka]], a second transmission line to Calgary, and the construction of the [[Kananaskis River|Kananaskis Falls]] hydro station. At that time, he was also the  director of Rocky Mountains Cement Company and Security Trust.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jennings|first=A. Owen|title=Merchants and manufacturers record of Calgary|year=1911|publisher=Jennings Publishing Company|location=Calgary|page=84|url=http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=859011|access-date=6 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924080012/http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=859011|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bennett's corporate law firm included notable clients such as the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] and [[Hudson's Bay Company]]. He worked with his childhood friend, [[Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook]], on many successful ventures, including stock purchases, land speculation, and the buying and merging of small companies. Before he was 40, Bennett was a multi-millionaire who lived in the Calgary [[Fairmont Palliser Hotel]]. Though a lifelong bachelor, he dated women. In terms of personality, Bennett was accused of arrogance and of having a volatile temper.<ref name="BennettBio" /><ref>{{cite news |last1= Benham|first1= Donald|title=There's much to admire in nasty-tempered R.B. Bennett |url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/theres-much-to-admire-in-nasty-tempered-rb-bennett-94646494.html |website=Winnipeg Free Press |access-date=16 March 2022 |date=22 May 2010}}</ref> Bennett's wealth helped him become a philanthropist; he donated to schools, hospitals, charities, and individuals in need.<ref name="BennettCanadianEncyclopedia" />  He became richer when he started gaining control of the match company, [[E. B. Eddy Company]], between 1906 and 1918. His growing control of the company occurred due to his longtime friendship with Jennie Grahl Hunter Eddy, who trusted Bennett with the company after her husband, [[Ezra Butler Eddy]], died in 1906. By 1926, Bennett gained full control of the company.<ref name="BennettBio" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Ralph |title=R. B. BENNETT'S NOISY COLLISION WITH THE DEPRESSION |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1961/10/7/r-b-bennetts-noisy-collision-with-the-depression |website=Maclean's |access-date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=March 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322235803/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1961/10/7/r-b-bennetts-noisy-collision-with-the-depression |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bennett was one of the richest Canadians at that time. He helped put many poor, struggling young men through university.<ref name="ReferenceA" />