Richard Thomas Potter (January 20, 1915 – February 16, 2009) 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 1967 to 1975 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of

Quinte The Bay of Quinte () is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of ...

. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Peel in the 1959 provincia ...

Background

He was educated locally and attended Queen's University from which institution he graduated as a Physician in 1939. He immediately enlisted as a military medic in the

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). ...

and used his experience and expertise as a doctor to treat soldiers who were injured as a result of battles they fought in Europe. He served in an advance mobile unit to care for the injured of war; at the time of discharge he held the rank of lieutenant colonel. Potter returned to Belleville following his military service and worked as a family doctor and anesthetist. He married Enid Grace Weaver and together they raised four children.

Politics

In 1950 he entered municipal politics when he was elected as Alderman in Belleville and ran for

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 ...

and was elected to that office in 1951, running on a campaign promise to establish a municipal health unit and expand community facilities. In the 1967 provincial election, Potter ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Quinte. He defeated Ronald Joss of the Liberal party by 4,092 votes. He was re-elected in 1971. In 1971, when

became Premier, he appointed Potter to 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 ...

. A year later he was promoted to

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

. In 1974 he was shuffled to Minister of Correctional Services.

Cabinet positions

Later life

He decided to retire from politics at the age of 60 in 1975 having brought some badly needed changes in the health and welfare departments. In 1976 he was appointed as regional coroner which required him to close his private medical practice and serve as a full-time public servant. He died in

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...

after he and his wife moved to a nursing home to be closer to their grandchildren.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Richard 1915 births 2009 deaths Mayors of Belleville, Ontario Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs Canadian coroners