Robert Mercer Johnston

Robert Mercer Johnston (September 15, 1916 - October 16, 1985) was an Ontario political figure. He represented St. Catharines in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1967 to 1977 as a Progressive Conservative member.

Robert M. Johnston
Member of the Ontario Parliament
for St. Catharines
In office
1967–1977
Preceded byNew riding
Succeeded byJim Bradley
52nd Mayor of St. Catharines
In office
1964–1967
Preceded byIvan Buchanan
Succeeded byMackenzie Chown
Personal details
Born(1916-09-15)September 15, 1916
Port Dalhousie, Ontario
DiedOctober 16, 1985(1985-10-16) (aged 69)
Hotel Dieu Hospital, St.Catharines, Ontario
Political partyProgressive Conservative
OccupationJohnston's Coal, Ice and Fuel

Background

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Johnston was born in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, the son of Robert Henry and Lillias Johnston. In 1951, he married Doris Gardener. He was the mayor of St. Catharines.[1]

Politics

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Johnston was elected mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario in 1964 defeating incumbent Ivan Buchanan.[2] He remained mayor until he was elected to provincial office in 1967.

He was elected in the 1967 provincial election in the new riding of St. Catharines. He defeated Liberal candidate Jim Bradley by 4,122 votes.[3] He was re-elected in 1971 and 1975.[4][5] During his time in government he was a backbench supporter in the governments of John Robarts and Bill Davis. He retired from politics before the 1977 election.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Pierre .G. Normandin, ed. (1965). Canadian Parliamentary Guide: 1975. p. 765.
  2. ^ "Results in cities, towns". Toronto Daily Star. December 8, 1964. p. 43.
  3. ^ Canadian Press (October 18, 1967). "Tories win, but..." The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. B2. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  4. ^ "Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
  5. ^ "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  6. ^ Mosher, Peter (April 30, 1977). "Singer making up his mind: 3 Liberal front-benchers among 11 retiring MPPs". The Globe and Mail. p. 5.
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