John James "Joe" Greene, (June 24, 1920 – October 23, 1978) was a Canadian politician.

Life and career

Greene was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario, the son of Andrée (née Charpagnol) and Peter Greene. He grew up in

before finding work in northern

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 C ...

as a mine worker. After graduating from the

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by competitive ex ...

, he served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Following the war, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

and a law degree from

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. He began practice in Toronto, establishing a law firm in

Arnprior, Ontario Arnprior is a town in Renfrew County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located west of Downtown Ottawa, at the confluence of the Madawaska River and the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley. Arnprior has experienced sig ...

in 1949. In 1948, he married Corinne Bedore. He ran for the leadership of the

Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser since August 2022. The party espouses the principles of li ...

in 1958, placing a poor third at the party's leadership convention. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

in the 1963 general election. In 1964, he ran again for the leadership of the Ontario Liberals, placing fourth. In 1965, he became

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 ...

in the cabinet of Lester Pearson, one of the few non-farmers to hold the position and the first easterner in 54 years. In 1968, he ran to succeed Pearson in that year's federal Liberal leadership convention, but despite giving what many say was the best speech, he came in fifth place. After three ballots, he threw his support to Pierre Trudeau, contributing towards his victory. The new

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

made Greene

Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources The minister of natural resources () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government's natural resources portfolio, ...

. Greene moved to the riding of

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

in the 1968 election, and was again elected to Parliament. As energy minister, Greene prevented the sale of both the largest oil company under Canadian control and Canada's largest uranium producer to Americans. Greene suffered a heart attack in 1969, and was required to take a temporary leave of absence from parliament.

Otto Lang :''see also Otto Lang (film producer) and Otto Lang (actor)'' Otto Emil Lang, (born May 14, 1932) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. Life and career Lang was born in Handel, Saskatchewan. In 1961, he was appointed Dean of Law at the ...

served as the acting minister of Energy, Mines and Resources in this period.''Winnipeg Free Press'', 5 February 1969, p. 15 Green later suffered a stroke in late 1971. Greene retired from cabinet in January 1972 when he was appointed to the Senate of Canada. He died in 1978, aged 58.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Joe 1920 births 1978 deaths Canadian Anglicans Canadian military personnel of World War II Lawyers in Ontario Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Toronto University of Toronto alumni Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidates 20th-century Canadian lawyers