The Ontario Liberal Party held a leadership election in 1943 to choose a permanent replacement to Mitchell Hepburn who had been forced to resign at the end of 1942. Because the Ontario Liberal Party was in power, the winner of the race would also become

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

of the province. Initially, Hepburn attempted to anoint

Gordon Daniel Conant Gordon Daniel Conant (January 11, 1885 – January 2, 1953) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and the 12th premier of Ontario, from 1942 to 1943. Personal life Born in Cedar Dale, East Whitby Township (now part of the City of Oshawa) in O ...

as his permanent successor but the caucus did not accept this and forced a full leadership convention which was won on the first ballot by former Provincial Secretary Harry Nixon. As Conant was ailing and had been hospitalized, Thomas McQuesten was Acting Premier on the day of the leadership convention.

Candidates

* Thomas McQuesten, 60, MPP for Hamilton—Wentworth since 1934, Minister of Public Works and Highways (1934-1937, 1943), Minister of Municipal Affairs (1940-1943) * Harry Nixon, 52, MPP for Brant since 1919, Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario under

E.C. Drury Ernest Charles Drury (January 22, 1878 – February 17, 1968) was a farmer, politician and writer who served as the eighth premier of Ontario, from 1919 to 1923 as the head of a United Farmers of Ontario–Labour coalition government. ...

and Mitchell Hepburn (1919-1923, 1934-1942), first elected as a United Farmers of Ontario MPP (1919-1926), then as a Progressive (1926-1934) and Liberal-Progressive (1934-1937), Leader of the Progressives (1929-1934) and Liberal-Progressives (1934-1937) *

Arthur Roebuck Arthur Wentworth Roebuck, , (February 28, 1878 – November 17, 1971) was a Canadian politician and labour lawyer. Background Roebuck was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1878 and grew up on a farm in Wellington County, near Guelph. He worked as a r ...

, 65, MP for Trinity since 1940, former MPP for Bellwoods (1934-1949), Attorney-General of Ontario under Hepburn (1934-1937) *

Walter Thomson Walter Cunningham Thomson (December 21, 1895 – April 27, 1964) was a politician, lawyer and rancher in Ontario, Canada. Thomson first ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1943 but came in fourth place losing to Harry Nixon. H ...

, 48, Lawyer and rancher in Hastings County Premier

had also been a candidate but collapsed hours before the leadership vote and withdrew as a candidate.

Results

Results were as follows: * NIXON, Harry 418 * ROEBUCK, Arthur 85 * McQUESTEN, Thomas 40 * THOMSON, Walter 22 There were 8 spoiled ballots. See Ontario Liberal leadership conventions

References

Leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

1943 elections in Canada Ontario Liberal Party leadership election {{Canada-election-stub