David Kerr (Ontario politician)

David McMaster Kerr (15 May 1900 – 19 April 1978) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1951 to 1959 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of Dovercourt.

David M. Kerr
Ontario MPP
In office
1951–1959
Preceded byGeorge Eamon Park
Succeeded byAndy Thompson
ConstituencyDovercourt
Personal details
Born(1900-05-15)15 May 1900
Ballyclare, Ireland
Died19 April 1978(1978-04-19) (aged 77)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative
SpouseHelen
Children5
OccupationPresbyterian minister

Background

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Kerr was born in Ballyclare, Ireland on 15 May 1900.[1] He emigrated to Canada in 1925. He graduated from McGill University in 1926 and went on to study at Presbyterian Theological College where he graduated in 1936. He became a Presbyterian minister and worked in small Ontario towns of Shakespeare and Waterloo. He became the pastor of Royce Presbyterian Church in west Toronto in 1941. In 1950 he was appointed as the moderator of the West Toronto Presbytery. He and his wife raised five children.[2]

Politics

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McMaster served as a school trustee from 1947 to 1951.[2]

He was elected in the 1951 provincial election in the riding of Dovercourt. He defeated CCF incumbent George Eamon Park by 256 votes.[3] He was re-elected in 1955.[4] He was defeated in the 1959 election by Liberal candidate Andy Thompson by 360 votes.[5] During his time in the legislature he served as a backbench supporter to Premier Leslie Frost. He died in 1978.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "The Canadian Parliamentary Companion". 1957.
  2. ^ a b "Toronto-Dovercourt: 2 Old Foes, Housing Official Battle for Ballots". The Globe and Mail. May 13, 1955. p. 4.
  3. ^ Canadian Press (November 22, 1951). "Complete Ontario Vote". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal. p. 4.
  4. ^ Canadian Press (June 10, 1955). "Complete Results of Ontario Voting by Constituencies". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. p. 4.
  5. ^ Canadian Press (June 12, 1959). "Complete Results of Ontario Voting by Constituencies". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. p. 26.
  6. ^ "Deaths". The Ottawa Journal. 22 April 1978. p. 51. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
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