John F. Eakins (December 8, 1922 - September 16, 1998) was a politician in Ontario,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He was 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 ...

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 1975 to 1990 who represented the riding of Victoria—Haliburton. He served as a

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

in the government of

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Backgro ...

Background

Eakins was born in Mariposa Township in

Victoria County Victoria County is the name of several locations: In Australia: *Victoria County, Western Australia * County of Victoria, South Australia In Canada: * Victoria County, New Brunswick * Municipality of the County of Victoria and the eponymous histo ...

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 ...

and educated in

Lindsay, Ontario Lindsay is a community of 22 367 people (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 census) on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes (Ontario), Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough, Ontario, Peterboro ...

. Eakins was a barber and hairdresser. Eakin was predeceased by his wife, Iris, who died in the mid-1980s and they had three children.

Politics

He served as a councillor in Lindsay for three years, and as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

for six. As Mayor, he led the twinning of the Town of Lindsay with

Nayoro, Hokkaido is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 28,373 and a population density of 53 persons per km2 (140 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is . On March 27, 2006, the town of Fūren was mer ...

, and Japan in 1969. Eakins was also a governor of

Fleming College Fleming College, also known as Sir Sandford Fleming College, is an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The college has an enrollment of more than 6,800 full-time and 10,000 part-time student ...

, and a member of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

. He also served as Warden of

Victoria County, Ontario The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as ''The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria'', and separated from Peterborough in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolv ...

. He first sought election to the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative Glen Hodgson by 2,016 votes in Victoria—Haliburton. He ran again in the 1971 election and lost to Hodgson by 2,119 votes. The Ontario Liberal Party increased its legislative representation in the 1975 provincial election, and Eakins defeated Hodgson by 1,023 votes in his third attempt. He was re-elected by greater margins in the elections of

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

and

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

. After serving in opposition for forty-two years, the Liberal Party formed a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

after the 1985 election. David Peterson, the province's new

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, appointed Eakins as his Minister of Tourism and Recreation on June 26, 1985. He held this position until September 29, 1987, when he was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs. He left cabinet on August 2, 1989. Eakins did not run in the 1990 election.

Cabinet positions

Later life

After leaving provincial office, he remained active in the Rotary Club of Lindsay and numerous other community activities. Eakins was the driving force behind the creation of the Lindsay and District Sports Hall of Fame, which was developed to honour athletes, coaches and supporters of sporting activities in the County., LADSHF History Eakins died in 1998, after undergoing cancer treatments in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eakins, John 1922 births 1998 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs