- Allan Lawrence
Allan Frederick Lawrence, PC, QC (
November 8 ,1925 –September 6 ,2008 ) was a Canadian politician.After practising as a lawyer, Lawrence became a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario by winning a 1958 provincialby-election in the downtownToronto riding of St. George for theProgressive Conservative Party of Ontario . In 1968, PremierJohn Robarts brought him intocabinet as Minister of Mines.In 1971, he ran to succeed Robarts as party leader at the PC Party leadership convention. Lawrence lost to
Bill Davis by 44 votes on the fourth ballot. Davis reunited the Tory party by inviting many of Lawrence's key workers, includingJohn Tory andNorman K. Atkins , onto his team to create theBig Blue Machine that helped the Tories remain in power for a further fourteen years.Davis appointed Lawrence as his Attorney-General but, in 1972, Lawrence resigned his seat in the Ontario legislature in order to enter federal politics. He was elected to the
Canadian House of Commons in the 1972 federal election as the Progressive ConservativeMember of Parliament (MP) for the ruralOntario riding ofNorthumberland—Durham . He served as an MP throughout the decade.When the Tories won the 1979 federal election, Prime Minister
Joe Clark appointed Lawrence to the Cabinet as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Solicitor-General. The Clark government fell in aMotion of No Confidence after several months and was defeated in the 1980 election. Lawrence was re-elected in his riding, and returned to the Opposition benches.He ran again in the 1984 election but, despite the Conservative victory that year, was passed over for a cabinet appointment by
Brian Mulroney . Lawerence retired from politics at the 1988 election.Lawrence retired to the small Ontario town of Cobourg with his wife Moira. He died on September 6, 2008 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He was 82 years old.
External links
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?Language=E&query=1256&s=M Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament]
* [http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1190633 Former MP Allan Lawrence dies] - Obituary
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