the reserve, including first use of a tractor in 1920. In 1949, Gladstone was elected president of the Indian Association of Alberta though another source records his presidency as 1945–1954, and was sent to Ottawa three times to press for improvements to the Indian Act. His acceptance by both Blackfoot and Cree assisted him in bringing the different groups together in one political organization. Senate appointment He was nominated to the Senate by Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in January 1958, at age 70, two years before status Indians gained the vote in federal elections, and he pressed for Aboriginals to be enfranchised. He sat as an "independent Conservative" "representing 160,000 Indians across the land." He advocated for integration into Canadian society. He was the chair of the Standing Committee on Indian Affairs. To meet the property qualifications for the Senate "he drove with his wife to nearby Cardston and paid cash for a five-room bungalow." Retirement and death Gladstone retired from the Senate in March 1971 and died of a heart attack on September 4, 1971, in Fernie, British Columbia. Posthumous recognition A biography of Senator Jim Gladstone, written by Alberta historian (and Gladstone's son-in-law) Hugh Dempsey, is entitled The Gentle Persuader. In 2017, the Bank of Canada unveiled a commemorative Canadian ten-dollar note in honour of Canada 150, featuring Gladstone's portrait alongside Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir George-Étienne Cartier, and Agnes Macphail. References External links Indian Association of Alberta review of the IAA's history with attention to Gladstone's role in the organization. The Gentle Persuader: A Biography of James Gladstone, Indian Senator by Hugh A. Dempsey (review) 1887 births 1971 deaths Canadian senators from Alberta First Nations politicians Independent Canadian senators Cree people Kainai Nation people Indigenous Canadian senators