John Palmer MacBeth
| John MacBeth | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
|
In office 1975–1981 | |
| Preceded by | Nick Leluk |
| Succeeded by | Morley Kells |
| Constituency | Humber |
|
In office 1971–1975 | |
| Preceded by | Leslie Rowntree |
| Succeeded by | Nick Leluk |
| Constituency | York West |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Palmer MacBeth November 19, 1921 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died |
March 20, 1991 (aged 69) Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Etobicoke, Ontario |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch | Royal Canadian Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–45 |
| Rank | Petty Officer |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Atlantic |
John Palmer MacBeth (November 19, 1921 – March 20, 1991) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1981. He represented the ridings of York West and Humber in the west end of Toronto. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bill Davis.
Background
MacBeth was born in Toronto, the son of John Charles McKay MacBeth and Virginia Maria Palmer.[1] MacBeth served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II from 1943 to 1945 and attained the rank of Petty Officer.[2] After the war he studied as a lawyer and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1948. He worked with his father. Their law firm became MacBeth and MacBeth.[3]Later he practiced with a friend from kindergarten Douglas Swindon Johnson as the law firm MacBeth and Johnson. He and his wife Ruth raised three children, John, Wendy and Nancy.[4]
Politics
He was reeve of Etobicoke from 1963 to 1966 and was also chairman of the Etobicoke board of education.[4]
In the 1971 provincial election he ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of York West. He defeated Liberal candidate Dave Rattray by 14,180 votes.[5] He was re-elected in 1975 in the riding of Humber defeating Liberal candidate Alex Marchetti.[6] He was re-elected in 1977.[7]
MacBeth was appointed to cabinet On June 1, 1974 as Minister of Labour to replace Fern Guindon who was seeking Federal office.[3] In October 1975 he was promoted to Provincial Secretary for Justice and Solicitor General.[8] In 1977, he briefly held the position of Minister of Correctional Services after Arthur Meen retired from office.[9]
MacBeth said that one of his best accomplishments was passing a Sunday closing law in Ontario. He said, "I still get letters from people who are thankful that they do not have to work on those days."[4] The legislation proved to be unwieldy and was eventually repealed in 1992.[10] He retired from politics in 1981.[4]
Cabinet positions
| Provincial Government of Bill Davis | ||
| Cabinet Posts (4) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Arthur Meen | Minister of Correctional Services 1977 (June–September) |
Frank Drea |
| John Clement | Solicitor General 1975–1978 |
George Kerr |
| John Clement | Provincial Secretary for Justice 1975–1978 |
Gordon Walker |
| Fernand Guindon | Minister of Labour 1974–1975 |
Bette Stephenson |
Later life
After retiring from politics, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Ontario Police Commission which he held until 1987.[4] He died while vacationing in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is buried at Park Lawn Cemetery in Etobicoke.[2]
References
- ↑ Parker, C.W. (1975). Who's who in Canada: an illustrated biographical record of men and women of the time 64.
- 1 2 "Hansard". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. March 21, 1991. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
- 1 2 Mosher, Peter (June 1, 1974). "MacBeth is sworn in to replace Guindon as Minister of Labor". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Millson, Larry (March 22, 1991). "John MacBeth Politician served as solicitor-general". The Globe and Mail. p. D7.
- ↑ "Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
- ↑ "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
- ↑ "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
- ↑ "Heavy on the brass". The Globe and Mail. October 8, 1975. p. 7.
- ↑ "Introduction of new bills: Premier rejects consultation with opposition". The Globe and Mail. June 23, 1977. p. 5.
- ↑ "Ontario allows Sunday shopping". Edmonton Journal. June 4, 1992. p. A10.