Saul Laskin (15 May 1918 – 4 October 2008) was a Canadian politician. He was the first
mayor of the City of
Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Born in
Fort William, Ontario, he was the younger brother of jurist
Bora Laskin
Bora Laskin (October 5, 1912 – March 26, 1984) was a Canadian jurist who served as the 14th chief justice of Canada from 1973 to 1984. Laskin was appointed a puisne justice of the Supreme Court in 1970, and served on the Ontario Court of A ...
. He was educated in Fort William and Toronto, and served overseas in World War II. In 1938 he took over his father's furniture store and opened a new store in
Port Arthur in 1946, which he operated until the 1980s when he moved to Toronto with his wife Adele.
[Kelly, Jim.]
City's 1st mayor dies
, The Chronicle-Journal
''The Chronicle-Journal'' is the daily newspaper in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Unlike many List of newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspapers, it does not use the city's name in its masthead. The paper has an average weekday circulation of 17,20 ...
, 6 October 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
His political career began in 1959 when he was elected as an
alderman in Port Arthur. He was elected mayor in 1962, a position he would hold until 1969, when Port Arthur and Fort William
amalgamated to become Thunder Bay. He was elected mayor of Thunder Bay, and held the position until 1972. Laskin was the first and only Jewish mayor elected at the Lakehead.
In
1963 federal election, he ran unsuccessfully as a
Liberal in the
riding of
Port Arthur, losing to the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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candidate,
Douglas Fisher.
Laskin sat on the board of governors at
Lakehead University for 15 years, and received an
honorary doctorate and the title of Fellow of Lakehead University. In retirement, he lived in Toronto with his wife Adele Tritt whom he married in 1946.
[Kelly, Jim.]
Former Thunder Bay mayor marks 90th birthday
, The Chronicle-Journal
''The Chronicle-Journal'' is the daily newspaper in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Unlike many List of newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspapers, it does not use the city's name in its masthead. The paper has an average weekday circulation of 17,20 ...
, 17 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008. He died of a heart attack on 4 October 2008.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laskin, Saul
1918 births
2008 deaths
Candidates in the 1963 Canadian federal election
Mayors of Port Arthur, Ontario
Mayors of Thunder Bay
Jewish mayors of places in Canada
Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons