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

Life and career

Greene was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Andrée (née Charpagnol) and Peter Greene. He grew up in Toronto before finding work in northern Ontario as a mine worker. After graduating from the University of Toronto Schools, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Following the war, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a law degree from Osgoode Hall. He began practice in Toronto, establishing a law firm in Arnprior, Ontario in 1949. In 1948, he married Corinne Bedore. He ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1958, placing a poor third at the party's leadership convention. He was first elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as a Liberal 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 in the

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, 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 Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...

, contributing towards his victory. The new Prime Minister made Greene Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources. Greene moved to the riding of Niagara Falls, Ontario 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 U ...

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 The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

. 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