Robert Orok

Robert Dick Orok (October 2, 1878 - November 8, 1957[1]) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1912 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party.

Orok was born in Midhurst, Ontario,[2] the son of William Orok and Mary Johnston. He was educated at the Barrie Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto, and received certification as a medical doctor. Orok pursued post-graduate studies at Queen's University and the University of Edinburgh. He spent time in the Yukon gold fields and then practised medicine in Cookstown, Ontario from 1909 to 1911 and, from 1911, at The Pas. He also worked as a surgeon on the Hudson Bay Railway. In religion, Orok was a Presbyterian. In 1904, he married Louise M. Smith.[3] In 1907, Orork married Bessie Vair.[2]

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a by-election held on October 22, 1912, in the nearly-created northern constituency of The Pas.[1] The constituency occupied 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) at the time, and Orok claimed that it was the largest in the world. Orok won his seat by acclamation, and served as a backbench supporter of premier Rodmond P. Roblin's government. Orok was again returned by acclamation through a deferred vote in the 1914 election,[1] after the Conservatives had won a majority government in the rest of the province.

Roblin's administration was forced to resign in 1915 amid a serious corruption scandal. A new election was held, which the Liberals won in a landslide.[4] Orok did not seek re-election.[1]

He served as a captain in the Canadian Machine Gun Corps and the Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War I.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "MLA Biographies - Deceased". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
  2. 1 2 "Robert Dick Orok (1878-1958)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  3. ↑ Parker, C W (1916). Northern who's who; a biographical dictionary of men and women. p. 631. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  4. ↑ "Legislature Scandal". TimeLinks. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  5. ↑ "Captain Robert Dick Orok". Canadian Great War Project. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
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