Ralph Wesley Stewart (30 December 1929 – 11 February 2004) was a

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 ...

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 ...

, who briefly joined the Progressive Conservative party. He was born in

Cochrane, Ontario Cochrane is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is located east of Kapuskasing, northeast of Timmins, south of Moosonee, and north of Iroquois Falls. It is about a one-hour drive from Timmins, the major city of the region. It is the seat ...

and became a consultant, orchestra conductor and public servant by career. He was first elected at the

Cochrane Cochrane may refer to: Places Australia *Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line Canada * Cochrane, Alberta * Cochrane Lake, Alberta * Cochrane District, Ontario ** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...

riding in the 1968 general election, and re-elected there in the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and 1974 federal elections. On 7 March 1979, in the final days of the

30th Canadian Parliament The 30th Canadian Parliament was in session from September 30, 1974, until March 26, 1979. The membership was set by the 1974 election on July 8, 1974, and was only changed somewhat due to resignations and by-elections before it was dissolved pr ...

, Stewart switched to the Progressive Conservative party citing objections to the Liberals' handling of bilingualism and economic policy. However, his federal political career ended when he was unable to represent the Progressive Conservatives at Cochrane, and instead his party's local riding association chose 22-year-old Carole Kosowan as their candidate for the 1979 general election. After the election, which returned a Progressive Conservative government, Stewart was rewarded with the Post of Consul General in Atlanta, Georgia. When the Liberals returned to power, he was asked to resign, but having negotiated a four-year appointment with a firm contract, he was paid for the full term. He later relocated to Naples, Florida.

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* 1929 births 2004 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada MPs People from Cochrane, Ontario {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MP-stub