Jim Coutts | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-05-16)May 16, 1938 High River, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | December 31, 2013(2013-12-31) (aged 75) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Alberta Harvard School of Business |
| Occupation(s) | lawyer, business person |
James Allan CouttsCM (May 16, 1938 – December 31, 2013) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and advisor to twoprime ministers, most notably as Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau'sPrincipal Secretary from 1973 to 1981.
Born inHigh River, Alberta, he was raised inNanton, Alberta. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960 and a law degree in 1961 from theUniversity of Alberta and anMBA from theHarvard Business School in 1968. He was called to the Bar of Alberta in 1962.
From 1961 to 1963, he practiced law inCalgary, Alberta. From 1963 to 1966, he served as Appointments Secretary toLiberal Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson. After receiving his MBA, he was a Consultant withMcKinsey & Company from 1968 to 1970. From 1970 to 1975, he was a Partner with the Canada Consulting Group. From 1975 to 1981, he was thePrincipal Secretary to Prime MinisterPierre Elliott Trudeau.
In 1981, Trudeau appointed Liberal MPPeter Stollery to theSenate so Coutts could run for theHouse of Commons of Canada in what was thought of as the safe Ontario riding ofSpadina. The plan backfired when Coutts narrowly lost toNew DemocratDan Heap despite personal interventions from Trudeau. Coutts ran again, but lost by a heavier margin in the1984 election.
He subsequently left politics and entered business with an international career in industrial explosives. He was a principal of Lowther Consultants Limited and the chairman and chief executive officer of CIC Canadian Investment Capital Limited.[1]
He was also a philanthropist and a major donor to theUniversity of Lethbridge.[1] He was a member of the Board and Foundation ofThe Hospital for Sick Children and was a co-founder of theW.O. Mitchell Literary Prize.
In 2001, he was made a Member of theOrder of Canada.
Coutts died of cancer on December 31, 2013.[1][2] His private papers were left with theTrinity College, Toronto and opened in January 2025, when they became the subject of a book later that year byRon Graham titledThe Coutts Diaries: Power, Politics, and Pierre Trudeau, 1973-1981, published bySutherland House Books.[3]
| Canadian federal by-election, August 17, 1981:Spadina Appointment ofPeter Stollery to the Senate | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| New Democratic | Dan Heap | 7,586 | ||||||
| Liberal | Jim Coutts | 7,372 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative | Laura Sabia | 6,581 | ||||||
| Rhinoceros | Decriminalized Douglas | 233 | ||||||
| Libertarian | Robert Champlin | 162 | ||||||
| Independent | Anne McBride | 84 | ||||||
| Independent | John Turmel | 69 | ||||||
| Independent | Ronald Rodgers | 41 | ||||||
| 1984 Canadian federal election:Spadina | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||||||
| New Democratic | Dan Heap | 13,241 | ||||||
| Liberal | Jim Coutts | 11,880 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative | Ying Hope | 8,061 | ||||||
| Libertarian | William E. Burt | 358 | ||||||
| Rhinoceros | Mara Maria Proussaefs | 289 | ||||||
| Independent | Sam Guha | 98 | ||||||
There is a James A. Couttsfonds atLibrary and Archives Canada.[4]