[3] In 1902 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories for Lacombe and served until 1904 as a supporter of the Frederick W. A. G. Haultain government.

Both men were instrumental in assuring Laurier the draft electoral districts for the province were fairly aligned after repeated calls of gerrymandering by southern Albertans.

[6] Talbot instead sought a position in the Senate and admitted in letters he did not have the stamina to continue in elected politics, nor the financial resources.

[7] Prior to being named to the Senate, Talbot wrote Rutherford asking that the position of Sheriff of Red Deer be set aside for him.

[6] In 1906, he was appointed to the Senate on the advice of Wilfrid Laurier, representing the senatorial division of the province of Alberta (created 1905 from the North-West Territories).