BGen John Alexander "Jack" Richardson (1 December 1932 – 2 June 2010) was a member of 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 ...

from 1993 to 2002. His career was in

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

. During his term with the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

, he attained the rank of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He graduated from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

with a Bachelor of Commerce, then from the

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) is Canada's only all-graduate institute of teaching, learning and research, located in Toronto, Ontario. It is located directly above the St. George subway sta ...

with a Masters of Education. He served with the

from 1952, including a tour of duty in Germany. He eventually reached the rank of Brigadier General as a reservist. In 1961, he joined Norwood Secondary School where he was a teacher and vice-principal and served at other schools, finally reaching

Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German im ...

where he became superintendent of instruction. After his retirement from education, Richardson was elected in the 1993 federal election in

Perth—Wellington—Waterloo Perth—Wellington—Waterloo was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1987 from parts of Perth, Waterloo and Wellingt ...

for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, becoming the first Liberal to represent a Perth County-based riding in 40 years. After riding restructuring, he was re-elected at the

Perth—Middlesex Perth—Middlesex was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2003 and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2007. This riding was created in 1996 from parts of ...

electoral district in the

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

and 2000 federal elections. In all, Richardson served in the

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

and

36th Canadian Parliament The 36th Canadian Parliament was in session from September 22, 1997, until October 22, 2000. The membership was set by the 1997 federal election on June 2, 1997, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dis ...

s but abruptly resigned 11 October 2002 before completing his term in the

37th Canadian Parliament The 37th Canadian Parliament was in session from January 29, 2001, until May 23, 2004. The membership was set by the 2000 Canadian federal election, 2000 federal election on November 27, 2000, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and ...

. The reasons for his resignation were initially declared to be "personal", but later reports indicated Richardson had been ill for some time. A subsequent by-election loss of Richardson's riding to Progressive Conservative candidate Gary Schellenberger was blamed by Prime Minister

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...

on Richardson's reluctance to leave Canadian politics when his health began deteriorating. Richardson died in his birth city of

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

on 2 June 2010 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.

References

External links

*
CBC Canada Votes 2006: Perth-Wellington
accessed 29 July 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, John 1932 births 2010 deaths Canadian generals Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Canadian schoolteachers Neurological disease deaths in Ontario Deaths from Alzheimer's disease University of Toronto alumni University of Ottawa alumni People from Peterborough, Ontario 21st-century Canadian politicians