Alfred Johnson Brooks

Alfred Johnson Brooks PC QC (born November 14, 1890 in Gagetown , New Brunswick , † December 7, 1967 ) was a Canadian colonel in the Canadian Army , lawyer and politician for the Conservative Party of Canada and later the Progressive Conservative Party (PC), the Was a member of the House of Commons for 25 years and a member of the Senate for another seven years . Between 1957 and 1960 he was Minister for Veterans Affairs in the 18th Canadian Cabinet of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker .

Life

Lawyer, World War I, and New Brunswick politician

After attending school, Brooks first completed an undergraduate degree , which he completed with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). A postgraduate course of the law , he finished with a Bachelor of Civil Laws (BCL) and then took a job as a barrister on. For his lawyer's merits he was appointed Queen's Counsel (Queen's Counsel) nominated and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LL.D.).

During World War I , Brooks joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in 1914 and participated in various combat missions with the 26th Battalion, most recently being promoted to major .

Mid-1920s, Brooks focused on the political work in the province of New Brunswick and was on 10 August 1925 at the constituency King's County as a candidate of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick elected and was one of nearly ten years until June 26, 1935. During this time he was last as deputy speaker of the legislative assembly from 1930 to 1935 Vice President of Parliament.

In addition, he remained connected to the Canadian Army and was between 1926 and 1930 Lieutenant Colonel in the New Brunswick Rangers and then from 1930 to 1933 Lieutenant Colonel in the 16th Infantry Brigade.

Member of the House of Commons, Federal Minister and Senator

After leaving the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Brooks was elected for the first time as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the election on October 14, 1935 , and represented the House of Commons for almost 25 years until he resigned on September 12, 1960 Royal constituency .

During the Second World War he was ordered back into military service and was Colonel in command of the transit camp in Windsor between 1940 and 1944 .

On June 21, 1957, Brooks was appointed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to Canada's 18th Cabinet, where he served as Minister of Veterans Affairs until October 10, 1960, and as Secretary of State for National Health and Welfare from June 21, 1957 to August 21, 1957 .

After being appointed Senator for New Brunswick for the Royal Senate District on September 12, 1960 on the proposal of Prime Minister Diefenbaker , Brooks resigned immediately from the House of Commons and resigned from his ministerial office on October 10, 1960.

Subsequently, between September 1, 1962 and April 21, 1963 he was de facto chairman of the PC parliamentary group and thus leader of the government majority in the Senate, although he was not a member of the cabinet.

After his party's defeat in the general election on April 8, 1963 , Brooks served as the opposition leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in the Senate, before resigning on October 31, 1967. On November 7, 1967, a month before his death, he finally resigned from his Senate mandate. He was a member of the Parliament of Canada for 32 years and 25 days.

Web links and sources

• CV on the home page of the Canadian Parliament

Individual evidence

1. ^ Canadian Ministries at rulers.org