Gordon Graydon (December 7, 1896 – September 19, 1953) was a Canadian politician who served as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Peel from 1935 to 1953.

Background

Graydon received his early education at S.S. No. 6 Chinguacousy in the County of Peel,

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 C ...

. He attended Brampton High School and was a student at

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

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. He graduated from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the '' Osgoode Hall L ...

in 1924. He then became a partner of the late Justice

William Raney William Edgar Raney (1859–1933) was a lawyer, politician and judge in Ontario, Canada, in the early twentieth century. He was known for his opposition to gambling on horse racing and the sale of alcohol. Early life Born on December 8, 1859, ...

, one-time Attorney General of Ontario. In 1933, at the age of 36, Graydon became the President of the Peel County Conservative Association. He was the youngest man ever to hold that position. In 1934, he helped rejuvenate the

Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...

by forming Young Conservative Clubs at a time when the party's existence was threatened. Optimism, confidence, acumen and an appealing manner were some of his assets. He was a member of Grace United Church, Brampton, of several local lodges, including Campbell's Cross Loyal Orange Lodge of the Board of Regents of Victoria College and of the Peel War Records Board. A

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Mississauga has been named in his honour. A senior public (junior high) school in Brampton, Ontario also bears his name.

Politics

He was one of thirty-five Conservative candidates who survived the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

landslide of the 1935 federal election, winning Peel riding for his party. Graydon was

Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

in the House of Commons of Canada from 1943 to 1945 because

John Bracken John Bracken (June 22, 1883 – March 18, 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–19 ...

, the new leader of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...

, did not have a seat in the House and chose not to seek one until the 1945 federal election. It was said that he was well liked in Quebec, admired by the Irish and the agrarians who were a force in Graydon's formative years. In 1945, he was Canadian delegate to the San Francisco World Conference, and delegate in London, representing Canada on the Preparatory Committee of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. He was Alternate Delegate for Canada at the UN's 1st General Assembly 1946, Parliamentary advisor to the Canadian Delegate to the UN General Assembly in 1950 and in New York, 1952. He remained a Member of Parliament for Peel until his death in 1953.

External links

Gordon Graydon fonds – Library and Archives Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graydon, Gordon 1896 births 1953 deaths Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Lawyers in Ontario Leaders of the Opposition (Canada) Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the United Church of Canada Politicians from Brampton University of Toronto alumni