[3] Upon the electoral district's formation, it covered a large portion of rural south east Alberta.

Under the 2004 Alberta electoral boundary re-distribution, the constituency covered the portion of the city north of the South Saskatchewan River, the Trans-Canada Highway and Carry Drive.

The first election in 1905 saw former North-West Territories Assembly member William Finlay win the district in a hotly contested race.

Spencer was re-elected by acclamation under Chapter 38 of the Elections Act in 1917 for serving in the Canadian Army during World War I.

The Liberal government passed a law in 1921 that turned Medicine Hat into a two-member constituency during the 5th Legislature.

He was appointed Minister of Industries and Labour by Premier Ernest Manning in 1948 and held that post until his death in 1953.

He would improve on that victory winning his biggest margin in the 1982 general election finishing almost 12,000 votes ahead of second place.

On December 17, 2014, he was one of nine Wildrose MLAs who crossed the floor to join the Alberta Progressive Conservative caucus.

[11][12] Due to laws existing in the Legislative Assembly Act a series of ministerial by-elections were needed to confirm members appointed to the Greenfield government.

[13] The by-election writ was dropped on November 16, 1921, United Farmers incumbent Perren Baker who had been appointed as Minister of Education ran unopposed and was acclaimed at the nomination deadline held on December 2, 1921.

The timing of the by-elections was deliberately chosen to coincide with the federal election to ensure that opposition candidates would be unlikely to oppose the cabinet ministers.

Voters had the option of selecting four candidates on the ballot District results from the first province wide plebiscite on electricity regulation.

On October 30, 1957 a stand-alone plebiscite was held province wide in all 50 of the then current provincial electoral districts in Alberta.

[24] Municipal districts lying inside electoral districts that voted against the Plebiscite were designated Local Option Zones by the Alberta Liquor Control Board and considered effective dry zones, business owners that wanted a license had to petition for a binding municipal plebiscite in order to be granted a license.

The vote was designed to educate students and simulate the electoral process for persons who have not yet reached the legal majority.