Eugene Whelan
Eugene "Gene" Francis Whelan PC OC (* 11. July 1924 in Amherstburg , Ontario ; † 19th February 2013 ) was a Canadian farmer and politician of the Liberal Party of Canada , the total of more than 25 years member of the House of Commons and Member of the Senate and was Minister of Agriculture for several years.
Life
Local politician and member of the House of Commons
Whelan completed after the school study the law , he with a doctor of the rights completed (LL.D.). However, he then worked as a farmer and professional agrologist . He began his political career in local politics as a member of the School Board of Anderson Township , before he was subsequently mayor ( Reeve ) of Anderson Township.
In the general election of June 18, 1962 , Whelan was elected for the first time as a candidate of the Liberal Party to the House of Commons, and in this represented first the constituency of Essex South and then, since the election of June 25, 1968, the constituency of Essex and since the following election from October 30, 1972 to the general election of September 4, 1984 the constituency of Essex-Windsor . At the beginning of his parliamentary activity he was from January 18, 1966 to April 23, 1968 Chairman of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development.
In August 1968 he took over his first government office and was first Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Fisheries until March 1969 and then from August 1969 to September 1970 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry.
Agriculture Minister and Senator
On November 27, 1972, Whelan was appointed Minister of Agriculture to the 20th Government of Canada by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau , which he served until the end of Trudeau's term on June 3, 1979. He also held the office of Minister of Agriculture in the 22nd Cabinet, also formed by Trudeau, from March 3, 1980 to June 29, 1984. He was temporarily President of the World Food Council .
After Trudeau's resignation as chairman of the Liberal Party, Whelan was one of the successor candidates at the party congress on June 16, 1984, but only achieved the last place among the seven candidates in the first ballot with 84 delegate votes. In the second ballot, John Turner then prevailed with 1,862 delegate votes (54 percent) clearly against the two remaining competitors Jean Chrétien (1,398 votes and 40 percent) and Don Johnston (192 votes and 6 percent).
Due to his many years of service as a politician and in particular to Canadian agriculture, Whelan, who was also called The Great Canadian Farmer , was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada on December 21, 1987 .
On 9 August 1996 was Whelan, who is also honorary colonel of the 21st Windsor Service Battalion is, on a proposal by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien member of the Senate and represented in this until reaching the constitutional age limit of 75 years on July 11, 1999 Senate District South Western Ontario . During his Senate membership, he was Vice-Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry from September 1997 to September 1999.
Whelan's daughter Susan Whelan was also a Member of the House of Commons and Minister for International Cooperation in the Chrétien Cabinet between 2002 and 2003 .
Web links
- Entry on Parliament's homepage
- Order of Canada
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Whelan, Eugene |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Whelan, Eugene Francis (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 11, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Amherstburg , Ontario |
| DATE OF DEATH | 19th February 2013 |