Fletcher Stewart Pickering "Tommy" Thomas (June 7, 1897 November 9, 1957) was a politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1945 to 1957 who represented the central Ontario riding of Elgin. He served as a cabinet minister under

Leslie Frost Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...

, holding two successive positions between 1951 and 1956.

Background

Born in 1897 in

Toronto Township, Ontario Toronto Township is a former municipality now mostly part of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, with its northern extremity now a part of Brampton. It is directly west of but not part of the city of Toronto, and its land area makes up the majority of pre ...

to Joseph P. Thomas and Maggie Stewart, Thomas and his mother moved to Streetsville nine years later following the death of his father. In 1915, he enrolled at the

Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affili ...

, but put his studies on hold in 1916 to enlist as a gunner in the Canadian Field Artillery. He served in France and was also one of the "Polar Bears" in the

North Russia Intervention The North Russia intervention, also known as the Northern Russian expedition, the Archangel campaign, and the Murman deployment, was part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War after the October Revolution. The intervention brought ...

before being discharged in 1919. Returning to OAC, he graduated in 1922 and became an agricultural agent working in

Grey County Grey County is a county of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario. Grey County is also a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the ...

, Port Arthur and

Elgin County Elgin County is a county of the Canadian province of Ontario with a 2016 population of 50,069. Its population centres are St. Thomas, Aylmer, Port Stanley, Belmont, Dutton and West Lorne. The county seat is St. Thomas, which is separated from t ...

(serving in the last area for 19 years). He became a farmer in Elgin County in 1935, specializing in tobacco and apples. In 1940, he was instrumental in organizing the first

International Plowing Match The International Plowing Match (IPM), held annually in Ontario, is North America's largest outdoor agricultural and rural expo. It is usually held in late September, and usually attracts more than 80,000 visitorscontent over the 5-day event. Each I ...

to be held there. He died in 1957. He is buried in Elmdale Memorial Park Cemetery.

Politics

In the 1945 Ontario election, Thomas ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Elgin, defeating

Mitchell Hepburn Mitchell Frederick Hepburn (August 12, 1896 – January 5, 1953) was the 11th premier of Ontario, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37. He was the only Ontario Liberal Party leader in the 20th cent ...

. Modest in victory, he said in his acceptance speech, "I am no wonder boy, and I repeat, I don't crave publicity. My ambition now is to be a good member for Elgin and to spend the rest of my time looking after my farm." He would later be reelected in the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

elections. In 1951, he was appointed as Minister of Public Works in the government of

, where he was in charge of coordinating the province's conservation projects. In 1953 he was appointed as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. As Ministers of Agriculture, he led the organization of the first cooperative marketing schemes for fruit and tobacco growers. He also went to the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

in order to clarify the status of Ontario's agricultural marketing legislation. He resigned from his role as Minister in 1956 because of ill health, but continued to serve in the Legislature. On his death in 1957, Leslie Frost said in tribute, "In both posts, the tremendous contribution he made to the great farming community of Ontario, and in connection with conservation works, was of a high order indeed."

Cabinet posts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Fletcher Stewart 1897 births 1957 deaths People from Elgin County Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs Ontario Agricultural College alumni Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Canadian military personnel of the Russian Civil War Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery personnel Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian military personnel from Ontario Politicians from Mississauga