Robert William Macaulay (May 25, 1921 – August 17, 2010) 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.

Background

Macaulay was born in Toronto in 1921 to Hazel and

Leopold Macaulay Leopold Macaulay (November 25, 1887 – December 24, 1979) was a Canadian politician and lawyer, born in Peterborough, Ontario. Macaulay was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He was first elected as Member of th ...

. His father served as an MPP and a cabinet minister in the government of George Henry in the 1930s. He attended

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

before enlisting in the army during

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where he served with the 48th Highlanders. After the war, he studied at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and graduated with a degree in law from

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is named for William Osgoode, ...

. He was called to the bar in 1948 and worked in the field for over 50 years. He and his wife Joy raised two children.

Politics

Macaulay was elected to 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 ...

as the Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

riding of Riverdale in the 1951 Ontario election. He was re-elected three times and served for 13 years. In 1958,

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly of On ...

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 ...

appointed him to the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

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 ...

with responsibilities in the Treasury Board. He was also appointed as a vice-chairman of

Ontario Hydro Ontario Hydro, established in 1906 as the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, was a publicly owned electricity utility in the Province of Ontario. It was formed to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity ge ...

. In 1959, he was promoted to the new position of Minister of Energy Resources. When Frost retired, Macaulay ran to succeed him in the 1961 Progressive Conservative leadership convention finishing third on the fifth ballot. The victor,

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 ...

, made Macaulay his Minister of Economics and Development. Macaulay retained his seat in the 1963 Ontario election, but he resigned from cabinet shortly afterwards citing health reasons. He remained in the legislature until May 1964 when he resigned his seat and returned to private life.

Cabinet positions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macaulay, Robert 1921 births 2010 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Politicians from Toronto Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs