James Auld (politician)

James Auld
James Auld
Ontario MPP
	In office; 1954–1981
Preceded by	Charles MacOdrum
Succeeded by	Bob Runciman
Constituency	Leeds
Personal details
Born	July 22, 1921; Toronto, Ontario
Died	June 30, 1982 (aged 60); Brockville, Ontario
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse	Nancy Eleanor Gilmour
Occupation	Wholesaler
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Army
Rank	Captain
Unit	Queen's Own Rifles
Battles/wars	D-Day landings

James Alexander Charles Auld (July 22, 1921 – June 30, 1982) was an Ontario political figure. He represented Leeds in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1954 to 1981 as a Progressive Conservative member.

Background

He was born in Toronto, the son of James Carswell Auld, and educated in Toronto and at the University of Toronto. In 1946, he married Nancy Eleanor Gilmour. Auld served as captain in the Queen's Own Rifles. He participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy in 1944. He worked as a wholesaler in Brockville.^[1]

Politics

He was a member of the town council for Brockville.

In 1954 he was elected in a by-election in the provincial riding of Leeds to replace Charles MacOdrum who had died earlier in the year.^[2] He beat Liberal candidate Mary Sheldon by over 5,000 votes.^[3] He was re-elected in every election up until his retirement in 1981, serving a total of 27 years.^[1]

He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Transport from 1962 to 1963, Minister of Travel and Publicity from 1963 to 1964, Minister of Tourism and Information from 1964 to 1971, Minister of Public Works from 1971 to 1972, Minister of the Environment from 1972 to 1974, Minister of Colleges and Universities from 1974 to 1975, Minister of Government Services in 1977, Minister of Energy from 1978 to 1979 and Minister of Natural Resources from 1978 to 1981. Auld was also Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet and commissioner on the Board of Internal Economy.

Cabinet positions

Cabinet posts (7)
Ontario provincial government of Bill Davis
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Frank Miller	Minister of Natural Resources 1978–1981	Alan Pope
Reuben Baetz	Minister of Energy 1978–1979	Bob Welch
John Smith	Minister of Government Services 1977 (June–September)	George McCague
Eric Winkler	Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet 1975–1978	George McCague
John White	Minister of Colleges and Universities 1974–1975	Harry Parrott
George Kerr	Minister of Environment 1972–1974	Bill Newman
John Simonett	Minister of Public Works 1971–1972	James Snow
Ontario provincial government of John Robarts
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Bryan Cathcart	Minister of Travel and Publicity^{[note 1]} 1963–1971	Fernand Guindon
Leslie Rowntree	Minister of Transport 1962–1963	Irwin Haskett

Later life

After his retirement from politics, he was appointed as chairman of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission in May 1981. On June 1, 1982, he was appointed as chairman of the Electoral Expenses Commission.^[4] On June 30 he was found unconscious at his desk and died later in hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 60 years old.^[1]

References

Notes

^ On March 25, 1964 it was renamed as the Minister of Tourism and Information.

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c Speirs, Rosemary (July 1, 1982). "James Auld 27 years in the Legislature, headed voting cost board". The Globe and Mail. p. S6.
^ "By Elections Sept. 16: Contests Assured In 4 Ontario Ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 3, 1954. p. 5.
^ "Ontario By-Elections: Three PC Victories. Votes Show Confidence In Frost". The Globe and Mail. September 17, 1954. p. 1.
^ Speirs, Rosemary (May 8, 1982). "Auld appointment patronage, Opposition says". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.