Elon Musk’s grandfather Joshua Haldeman and the Technocracy movement

Elon Musk’s grandfather Joshua Haldeman and the Technocracy movement

On February 7, 2026, public records and historical sources show that Joshua N. Haldeman (1902–1974), the maternal grandfather of Elon Musk, was involved in early 20th-century political movements in Western Canada. Haldeman was a chiropractor, aviator, and politician who engaged with the Technocracy movement and later the Social Credit Party in Saskatchewan.

The Technocracy movement, which Haldeman supported in the 1930s, advocated governance by engineers and technical experts rather than traditional politicians. Haldeman served as a leader of the Regina branch of Technocracy Incorporated before the organization was declared illegal by the Canadian government in 1940 under wartime regulations.

After his involvement with Technocracy, Haldeman continued political activity in Canada and later moved to South Africa in 1950. Historical documentation shows that Haldeman expressed pro‑apartheid views and published writings echoing conspiracy theories during his years there. There is no evidence, however, that he or his wife were members of the Nazi Party.