He served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1936 to 1937 and as a cabinet minister in the governments of William Aberhart and Ernest Manning from 1937 to 1952, in various portfolios related to resource industries.

[1] His family emigrated to Canada and had a farmstead in Aetna, south of Cardston, Alberta, where he grew up and attended grade school.

He ran as a Social Credit candidate in the electoral district of Cardston and defeated the incumbent United Farmers MLA George Stringam.

[7] In the 1948 Alberta general election, Tanner easily won a two-way race over the Liberal candidate Briant Stringam to hold his seat.

[2] In 1960, Tanner was called as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a full-time LDS Church general authority.

In 1962, the death of George Q. Morris created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,[citation needed] which Tanner was called to fill in October 1962.

[1] Tanner was presented with the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award at a ceremony in 1972 at Salt Lake City.

Because of the appointments of Maxwell and Hinckley the prior year, no additional individuals were added to the First Presidency and no apostles were ordained as a result of his death.