Thomas Ray Connell (December 1, 1916 – November 14, 1986) was a 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 ...
,
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
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 1951 to 1971. He represented the ridings of
Hamilton—Wentworth and
Wentworth North. He was a member of cabinet in the governments of
Leslie Frost
Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...
and
John Robarts
John Parmenter Robarts (January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th premier of Ontario from 1961 to 1971. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Early life
Roba ...
.
Background
A farmer, Connell married Irene Brenn in 1942. They raised two children, Allan and Brenda.
Politics
First elected in the general election in 1951,
Connell was re-elected in the general elections in 1955,
1959,
1963,
and 1967.
During his first term in office, he served on variety of Standing Committees.
On November 1, 1956, he was appointed to
Leslie Frost
Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...
's cabinet as a
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...
and, on April 28, 1958, he was appointed as the
Minister of Reform Institutions. On December 22, 1958, he was promoted to a senior Cabinet post, as
Minister of Public Works
This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure.
See also
* Public works
* Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...
, which he would go on to hold for a remarkable eleven years. On June 5, 1969, having already indicated that he would not be running in the next general election, Connell was dropped from Cabinet and he retired in 1971.
Later life
After retiring from politics, Connell became involved with the horse racing industry. He set about to develop a horse racing facility in the Flamborough area, north of Hamilton, Ontario. He secured three large investors and, in 1972, work began on the construction of what came to be known as
Flamboro Downs
Flamboro Downs is a half-mile harness horse racing track in Flamborough, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is also home to Flamboro Slots, which has a total of 808 slot machines.
The racetrack was founded in 1971 by Charles Juravinski and acquired in ...
racetrack. Connell served as President of the company until the mid-1980s.
He died November 14, 1986, in Hamilton.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connell, Thomas Ray
1916 births
1986 deaths
Members of the Executive Council of Ontario
Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs