Keith Douglas Davey | |
|---|---|
| Senator for York, Ontario | |
| In office February 24, 1966 – July 1, 1996 | |
| Appointed by | Lester B. Pearson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1926-04-21)April 21, 1926 |
| Died | January 17, 2011(2011-01-17) (aged 84) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Isobel Hart (m. 1952 – c. 1975; marriage dissolved) Dorothy Elizabeth Petrie (m. 1978 – d. 2011; his death) |
| Children | Douglas, Ian, Catherine |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Profession | political organizer |
| Committees | Chairman, Special Committee on Mass Media (1969–1970) Chairman, Special Committee on Mass Public Communication in Canada (1968–1969) |
Douglas Keith Davey,OC (April 21, 1926 – January 17, 2011) was aCanadian politician and campaign organizer.
Born inToronto, Ontario to Charles Minto Davey (Toronto Star Production Manager) and Grace Viola (née Curtis), Keith Davey attended high school atNorth Toronto Collegiate Institute.[1] Davey graduated with aBachelor of Arts from theUniversity of Toronto in 1949.[2]
Davey became a sales manager forCKFH, a Toronto radio station, from 1949 to 1960. The station was owned and managed by noted broadcasterFoster Hewitt.
Davey became a political organizer for the Liberal Party at the constituency level in Toronto in his early 20s, and joined the Executive of the Ontario Young Liberals in the 1950s, along withJudy LaMarsh (later a federal cabinet minister). In 1960 he became a campaign manager for his home riding ofEglinton.
Davey was appointed National Campaign Director of theLiberal Party of Canada in 1961. He directed the Liberal campaigns in1963 and1965. Commuting regularly between homes inOttawa and Toronto, Davey played important roles in every federal Liberal campaign up to and including 1984, serving Prime MinistersLester Pearson,Pierre Trudeau, andJohn Turner. These elections were held in1968,1972,1974,1979,1980, and1984.
Davey was appointed to theSenate of Canada byLester Pearson in 1966, just before his 40th birthday. He resigned in 1996.
In 1969, Davey chaired the Special Committee on Mass Media.Terence Corcoran argues that it was Davey's contention that a subsidized press is necessary "to supplement the privately owned media" which "were a menace to a democratic society."[3]
In 1966, Davey served briefly as thesecond commissioner of theCanadian Football League, resigning after less than two months on the job, due to stated incompatibility with many leading league figures.[4]
Davey was portrayed on an episode ofKing of Kensington as Senator Keith Davis on the episode titledMr. King Goes to Ottawa; he was portrayed by actor Ken James.
In 1986, Davey published a political memoir,The Rainmaker: a Passion for Politics.
Davey was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada in 1999.
He married Catherine Isobel Hart in 1952; they had three children, Douglas, Ian and Catherine. The union was dissolved around 1975. He remarried to Dorothy Elizabeth Petrie in 1978.
Davey died on January 17, 2011, aged 84,[5] at Belmont House in Toronto. He had been suffering fromAlzheimer's disease. He was survived by his second wife, and his three children from his first marriage.[6]
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| Preceded by | Canadian Football League commissioner 1966 | Succeeded by |
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