Arthur Gordon (politician)

Summary

Arthur St. Clair Gordon (June 3, 1894 – June 29, 1953) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1934 to 1945. He served in the cabinet of Mitchell Hepburn.

St. Clair Gordon
Ontario MPP
In office
1934–1945
Preceded byArchibald Clement Calder
Succeeded byGeorge Parry
ConstituencyKent West
Personal details
Born(1894-06-03)June 3, 1894
Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada
DiedJune 29, 1953(1953-06-29) (aged 59)
Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseGretta Hay
Children1
OccupationBusinessman
PortfolioMinister without portfolio, 1937-1943

Background edit

He was born in Wallaceburg,[1] the son of D. A. Gordon, and was educated there and at Ridley College. Gordon was president of the National Pressure Cooker Co., the Schultz Die Casting Co., the Sydenham Trading Co. and the Gordon Manufacturing Co.[2] He died in Wallaceburg in 1953; at the time of his death he had a heart condition that caused his health to decline for the last two years of his life.[3]

Politics edit

He was elected as a town councillor in 1924 and serving as mayor from 1927 to 1928.[3]

In the 1934 provincial election, he ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Kent West.[4]

On October 12, 1937, he was appointed as a Minister without portfolio by Premier Mitchell Hepburn. Hepburn wanted Gordon to take on an active portfolio but Gordon declined citing increasing pressures in his own business.[1]

In March 1943, he was appointed Treasurer by Gordon Conant to replace the retiring Mitchell Hepburn.[5] Conant was soon replaced as Premier by the new Liberal leader, Harry Nixon, who retained Gordon as Treasurer in his short lived government which was defeated in the 1943 provincial election.[6] Gordon then served on the opposition bench until he left politics at the 1945 election.[7]

Cabinet posts edit

Ontario provincial government of Harry Nixon
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Mitchell Hepburn Treasurer of Ontario
1943 (March–August)
Leslie Frost

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Ontario Cabinet Assumes Tasks". Windsor Daily Star. October 13, 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  2. ^ "Post-war years saw population explosion". Courier-Press. Wallaceburg. 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  3. ^ a b "A. St. Clair Gordon: Hepburn Minister Developed Group Of Metals Firms". The Globe and Mail. June 30, 1953. p. 4.
  4. ^ "Detailed Election Results". The Globe. Toronto. June 21, 1934. p. 3.
  5. ^ Hyman, Ralph (March 4, 1943). "Gordon New Treasurer As Hepburn Quits Post". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  6. ^ Canadian Press (August 5, 1943). "Ontario Election Results". The Gazette. Montreal. p. 12.
  7. ^ "St. Clair Gordon Quitting Politics". The Globe and Mail. April 7, 1945. p. 4.

External links edit

  • Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history
  • "Arthur St. Clair Gordon, M.P.P, and a Wallaceburg industrial giant". Wallaceburg and District Museum. Retrieved 2011-07-11.