Robert Gordon "Bob" Smellie (August 23, 1923 – September 29, 2005) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
in
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada. He was a
Progressive Conservative member of the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...
from 1959 to 1966, and 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’, â ...
in the government of
Dufferin Roblin
Dufferin "Duff" Roblin, (June 17, 1917 – May 30, 2010) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He served as the 14th premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre ...
.
The son of Albert George Smellie and Jessie May Cummings,
Smellie was born in
Russell, was educated at
Brandon College
Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon C ...
and the Manitoba Law School, and worked as a barrister at law before entering politics. He served in the Canadian Army with the
Royal Winnipeg Rifles
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3rd ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and was a member of the
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 ...
and of the Manitoba Travel and Convention Association.
In 1946, Smellie married Lois Evelyn Cochrane.
He was originally a supporter of the
Liberal-Progressives
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no Liberal-Progressive party: it was an alliance between two parties. In Manitoba, a party existe ...
, but was drafted by Dufferin Roblin to join the Progressive Conservatives in the mid-1950s.
[''Winnipeg Free Press'', 13 February 1969, p. 15.]
He first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the
1958 provincial election, but lost
to
Liberal-Progressive
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1925 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no Liberal-Progressive party: it was an alliance between two parties. In Manitoba, a party existe ...
incumbent
Rodney Clement by 130 votes in the constituency of
Birtle-Russell. He ran again in the
1959 election, and defeated Clement
by 224 votes as the Progressive Conservatives won their first majority government in forty-five years.
Smellie was re-elected by a greater margin in the
1962 election, and was named
Minister of Municipal Affairs on February 27, 1963. He remained in this position until July 22, 1966, when he was demoted to
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 ...
. He lost to Rod Clement by 145 votes in the
1966 provincial election.
After his defeat, Smellie served chair of the Manitoba Local Boundaries Commission.
This group produced a report on Winnipeg's internal boundaries in 1970, but its findings were superseded by the creation of a
unicity the following year. After he retired from the practice of law, he served as chairman of the Municipal Board of Manitoba. Smellie died in 2005.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smellie, Robert
1923 births
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs
2005 deaths
Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba
Brandon University alumni
University of Manitoba alumni
Lawyers in Manitoba
Robson Hall alumni