James Alexander Charles Auld (July 22, 1921 – June 30, 1982) was an

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 ...

political figure. He represented

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

in 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 1954 to 1981 as a Progressive Conservative member.

Background

He 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 ancho ...

, the son of James Carswell Auld, and educated in Toronto and at the

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

. In 1946, he married Nancy Eleanor Gilmour. Auld served as captain in the

Queen's Own Rifles The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is a Primary Reserve regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, based in Toronto. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only reserve regiment in Canada to currently have a ...

. He participated in the D-Day landings at Normandy in 1944. He worked as a wholesaler in Brockville.

Politics

He was a member of the town council for

Brockville Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It i ...

. In 1954 he was elected in a by-election in the provincial riding of

to replace Charles MacOdrum who had died earlier in the year. He beat

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 ...

candidate Mary Sheldon by over 5,000 votes. He was re-elected in every election up until his retirement in 1981, serving a total of 27 years. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Transport from 1962 to 1963, Minister of Travel and Publicity from 1963 to 1964, Minister of Tourism and Information from 1964 to 1971, Minister of Public Works from 1971 to 1972,

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

from 1972 to 1974, Minister of Colleges and Universities from 1974 to 1975, Minister of Government Services in 1977, Minister of Energy from 1978 to 1979 and Minister of Natural Resources from 1978 to 1981. Auld was also Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet and commissioner on the Board of Internal Economy.

Cabinet positions

Later life

After his retirement from politics, he was appointed as chairman of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission in May 1981. On June 1, 1982, he was appointed as chairman of the Electoral Expenses Commission. On June 30 he was found unconscious at his desk and died later in hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 60 years old.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Auld, James 1921 births 1982 deaths People from Brockville Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs University of Toronto alumni Canadian Army personnel of World War II The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada officers Canadian military personnel from Ontario