Colin WG Gibson

Colin William George Gibson PC QC MC VD (born February 16, 1891 in Hamilton , Ontario ; † July 3, 1974 ) was a Canadian officer , lawyer and politician of the Liberal Party of Canada , the Minister in the 16th Canadian cabinet of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and in the 17th Cabinet of Prime Minister Louis Saint-Laurent and later Associate Justice at the Ontario Supreme Court.

Life

Gibson was the son of John Morison Gibson , who was Lieutenant Governor of Ontario between 1908 and 1914 . After attending school, he completed a law degree and took up a position as a lawyer after being admitted to the bar . During the First World War he did military service with the Royal Fusiliers between 1914 and 1918 and was then employed as a reserve officer , namely from 1929 to 1934 after his promotion to lieutenant colonel with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry and then from 1935 to 1938 as site commander of the Hamilton Garrison . For his military services he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) and the Volunteer Officers' Decoration (VD).

In the election of March 26, 1940 , Gibson was elected as a candidate of the Liberal Party for the first time as a member of the House of Commons and represented there until his voluntary resignation on January 17, 1950 for almost ten years the Ontario constituency of Hamilton West .

On July 8, 1940, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King appointed him to the 16th Canadian Cabinet as Minister for National Income and served as Acting Minister for Air Defense between January 11 and March 7, 1945. After a cabinet reshuffle, he was Minister of Air Defense from March 8, 1945 to December 11, 1946 and then became Secretary of State for Canada. As such, he was also head of the government chancellery and held this post after Prime Minister Louis Saint-Laurent had formed Canada's 17th cabinet on November 15, 1948.

After another government reshuffle, Gibson served as Minister of Mines and Resources from April 1, 1949 until his resignation on January 17, 1950.

After retiring from the government and the House of Commons, he was appointed associate judge at the Ontario Supreme Court on January 18, 1950.

Gibson's son Colin David Gibson was also a member of the House of Commons from 1968 to 1972, where he represented the constituency of Hamilton-Wentworth .

Web links and sources

• Colin WG Gibson - biographical information on the website of the Canadian Parliament (English)
• Canadian Ministries at rulers.org