Bracken was professor of animal husbandry at the University of Saskatchewan from 1910 to 1920 when he took became President of the Manitoba Agricultural College.

The United Farmers of Manitoba (which was affiliated with the Progressives) won the provincial election of 1922 but did not have a leader so they asked Bracken to head the party and become Premier of Manitoba (something similar happened to Ernest C. Drury when the United Farmers of Ontario won the 1919 election in that province.)

The UFM changed its name to the Progressive Party of Manitoba and Bracken headed the government for twenty years, in coalition with the Manitoba Liberal Party after 1928 and in a broad coalition during the war that included the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, Social Credit and the Tories.

Despite having cooperated with the Liberals, Bracken was asked by senior Tories, including Arthur Meighen to take over the leadership of the weak federal Conservative Party. He agreed to seek the leadership on the condition that the party change its name to the Progressive Conservative Party. Bracken did not seek a seat in the House of Commons until the 1945 election which the Tories lost. Bracken became Leader of the Opposition and remained leader of the Tories until resigning in 1948.

Preceded by: Tobias C. Norris

List of Manitoba Premiers

Succeeded by: Stuart S. Garson