Paul Hinman

. He does not hold a seat in the Assembly.

Himan was elected to his first term as an MLA representing the constituency of Cardston-Taber-Warner in the 2004 general election on November 22, 2004. He was the first and only member elected under the Alberta Alliance Party banner. (Gary Masyk, the first, had crossed the floor from the Alberta Progressive Conservatives earlier that year, but had failed to win re-election as an Alliance candidate.)

Hinman first became interested in politics through his mentor and grandfather, Edgar Hinman, who served as Provincial Treasurer in the Ernest Manning government of Alberta from 1955 to 1964, and as Minister of Municipal Affairs from 1954 to 1955.

He was the southern regional director for the Alberta First Party. He was also one of numerous party members that moved on to the Alberta Alliance Party.

Paul Hinman served as vice-president of policy for the Alberta Alliance Party party from its founding convention on February 14, 2002, until he was named deputy leader on January 8, 2005. He is also a board member for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the electoral district of Lethbridge. He was previously an active member of the Federal Reform Party of Canada, serving on policy and election committees.

He was elected to the Alberta legislature for the first time in the 2004 general election beating the Progressive Conservative incumbent by 129 votes. Previously, Hinman was an irrigation farmer, cow-calf producer, purebred-cattle breeder, feedlot operator and small-business entrepreneur. He received honour awards in high school and was accepted into the University of Alberta Faculty of Pharmacy after graduation.

Hinman lives on his farm near Welling with four children: Mark, Jordan, Tanner and Janna.

Since the age of eight, he has been active in Scouting and has maintained his involvement with the program through leadership roles as an adult. He enjoys participating in sporting activities such as hiking in the mountains and horseback riding. He has had the opportunity to travel extensively, including trips to Denmark, Spain, the Caribbean Islands, Africa and Hong Kong. He spent two years in the Philippines doing missionary work for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he learned to speak their native language, Tagalog.

He won the leadership of the Alberta Alliance Party against three other candidates, runner-up Marilyn Burns, David Crutcher and Ed Klop on the third ballot. The leadership convention was held in Red Deer, Alberta, and took place on November 18 and 19th, 2005.

In 2008, the Alberta Alliance merged with the Wildrose Party to form the Wildrose Alliance, which asked Hinman to serve as its first leader.

The 2008 Provincial Election, saw Hinman lose his own riding to his Progressive Conservative rival, Broyce Jacobs by 39 votes, resulting in not a single Wildrose Alliance member being elected to the Legislative Assembly.

Media

ee also

*Alberta Alliance Party leadership election, 2005

External links

* [http://www.cardstontaberwarner.ca Paul Hinman's constituency Home Page]
* [http://www.allianceopposition.ca Alberta Alliance opposition caucus]
* [http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=49 Paul Hinman legislature biography]