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John Robarts | |
|---|---|
 Robarts in 1960 | |
| 17th Premier of Ontario | |
| In office November 8, 1961 – March 1, 1971 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | John Keiller MacKay William Earl Rowe William Ross Macdonald |
| Preceded by | Leslie Frost |
| Succeeded by | Bill Davis |
| Member of theLegislative Assembly of Ontario | |
| In office June 9, 1955 – October 21, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Walker |
| Constituency | London North |
| In office November 22, 1951 – June 9, 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Campbell Calder |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Constituency | London |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Parmenter Robarts (1917-01-11)January 11, 1917 Banff, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | October 18, 1982(1982-10-18) (aged 65) Toronto,Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | St. James Cemetery |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Timothy (1956–1977), Robin Hollis Jeffrey (1953–2010) |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario Osgoode Hall Law School |
| Cabinet | Minister without portfolio (1958–1959) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canadian |
| Branch/service | Royal Canadian Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | HMCS Uganda |
| Battles/wars | Pacific War |
John Parmenter RobartsPC CC QC (January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17thpremier of Ontario from 1961 to 1971. He was a member of theProgressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Robarts was born inBanff, Alberta, to Herbert Roberts and Ellen Florence May Robarts, making him the only Ontario premier not to have been born in Ontario. As a young man, he moved toLondon, Ontario, with his family, where he studied at Central Collegiate (today,London Central Secondary School) and at theUniversity of Western Ontario (UWO) in business administration. While attending UWO, he joined theDelta Upsilon fraternity.[1]
Robarts enrolled to study law atOsgoode Hall Law School, but his education was interrupted by service with theRoyal Canadian Navy duringWorld War II. He served as an officer onHMCS Uganda. After the war, he returned to law school and graduated in 1948.
Robarts practiced law in London, Ontario, and was elected to city council in 1948. In 1951, he was elected as amember of provincial parliament (MPP) to theLegislative Assembly of Ontario, as aProgressive Conservative (PC) from the city. In that era, MPPs not in cabinet were essentially working part-time due to relatively light legislative duties. Robarts commuted by train from the Queen's Park legislature inToronto, the provincial capital, to his family and law practice in London, effectively combining his legislative work with his legal career. His wife Norah disliked Toronto and remained at home in London for most of their marriage. The couple raised two children.[2]
He entered thecabinet ofLeslie Frost in 1958 asminister without portfolio, and was promoted tominister of education in 1959. The province was in the midst of a major building phase with its education system, to accommodate an enormous increase in enrollment following theBaby Boomer generation of the post-World War II era, and Robarts played an important role as education minister, with the establishment of new institutions such asYork University.[2]
In 1961, Robarts became the 17thpremier of Ontario, and served in that capacity until 1971. He was an advocate of individual freedoms, and promoted the rights of the provinces against the centralizing initiatives of the federal government. He also promotednational unity againstQuebec separatism, and hosted the 1967 "Confederation of Tomorrow" conference inToronto. Although unsuccessful attempt to achieve an agreement for a newConstitution of Canada, Robarts has been praised for facilitating interprovincial dialogue with Quebec.[3]
He initially opposedCanadian Medicare when it was proposed, but later endorsed it fully followingNew Democratic Party (NDP) candidateKenneth Bolton's upsetby-election victory on the issue in the London-area riding ofMiddlesex South.
As acivil libertarian, and a strong believer in the promotion of both official languages, Robarts opened the door to French language education in Ontario schools. In 1972 he was made a Companion of theOrder of Canada.
Nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board" during his tenure, Robarts is remembered for his steps to promote and improve education. He was responsible for the construction of five new universities including York University, the establishment of theOntario Science Centre andOntario Place, the creation of numerousteacher's colleges, the creation of the community college system, theGO Transit commuter rail system, introducingnuclear power to Ontario's electricity grid, and launching theOntario Scholar fund for high school students graduating with an A average. Throughout his premiership, Robarts had balanced budgets every year.[4][5]
After retiring from office, Robarts co-chaired the Task Force on Canadian Unity withJean-Luc Pépin, and joined a Toronto law firm as well as the boards of directors of several major corporations.
He served as chancellor of theUniversity of Western Ontario from 1971 to 1976. He served as chancellor of York University from 1977 to 1982.
Robarts and his wife divorced in the early seventies, and he remarried to a woman 28 years his junior.[4]
Robarts died bysuicide on October 18, 1982. He had been suffering from depression as a result of the 1977 suicide of his son, Timothy, and a series of debilitatingstrokes.[6]
He was given astate funeral atSt. Paul's Anglican Church in Toronto.[7] He is buried inSt. James Cemetery.
TheRobarts Centre for Canadian Studies atYork University was founded in 1984 in his name. TheJohn P. Robarts Research Institute (renamed The Robarts Research Institute in 2005) at the University of Western Ontario was officially opened in 1986. Also inLondon is theRobarts School for the Deaf, and the John P. Robarts elementary school. The 16-storeyJohn P. Robarts Research Library at theUniversity of Toronto is also named in his honour.
University of Western Ontario professor A. K. McDougall authored the first full-length biography:Robarts, in 1985.Steve Paikin wrote a biography,Public Triumph, Private Tragedy: The Double Life of John P. Robarts (Viking, 2005).
| Ontario provincial government ofLeslie Frost | ||
| Cabinet post (1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| William James Dunlop | Minister of Education 1959–1962 | Bill Davis |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of theUniversity of Western Ontario 1971–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor ofYork University 1977–1982 | Succeeded by |
Leaders of theProgressive Conservative Party of Ontario and its antecedents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Liberal-Conservative (1867–1873) |  | |
| Conservative (1873–1942) | ||
| Progressive Conservative (1942–present) | ||
| Leadership elections | ||
Interim leaders are in parentheses. | ||
