Peter Langdon Preston (June 3, 1935 – October 14, 2016) was a Canadian politician in
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 ...
. He was a
Progressive Conservative 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 1995 to 1999. He represented the riding of
Brant—Haldimand. He died at his residence, in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, on October 16, 2016.
Background
Preston was a non-commissioned officer with the
Royal Canadian Engineers
The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; french: links=no, Génie militaire canadien) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engi ...
for a number of years. He also worked in sales and management insurance, and founded Preston House in 1984 as a group home for boys aged twelve to eighteen. He also founded the Rocking P Peruvian Ranch, where is raised Peruvian horses (
Peruvian Paso
The Peruvian Horse is a breed of light saddle horse known for its smooth ride. It is distinguished by a natural, four-beat, lateral gait called the ''paso llano.'' This breed is protected by the Peruvian government through Decree number 25919 o ...
).
Politics
Preston's first involvement in politics was as an Alderman on the Town Council in Grimsby, Ontario. He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the
1995 provincial election, defeating
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 ...
incumbent
Ron Eddy
Ronald E. F. Eddy (born ) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1992 to 1995. He represented the riding of Brant—Haldimand, and the mayor of the County of Brant from 1999 to 20 ...
by about 3,500 votes in the mostly rural southern Ontario riding of
Brant—Haldimand.
The seat was formerly known as a Liberal stronghold, and Preston's victory was regarded by many as an upset. He served as a
backbench
In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...
supporter of the government of
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
for the next four years.
Preston's riding was eliminated by redistribution prior to the
1999 provincial election, and he chose to seek re-election in the urban riding of
Hamilton East. He finished a distant second against Liberal
Dominic Agostino
Dominic Agostino (October 14, 1959 – March 24, 2004) was a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Hamilton East for the Liberal Party in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 until his death in 2004.
Background
Born in Si ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Peter
1935 births
2016 deaths
Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs
Canadian Army soldiers