Dick Ruston

Richard Fletcher "Dick" Ruston (August 28, 1919 – May 19, 2002) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1967 to 1985, as a member of the Liberal Party.

Dick Ruston
Ontario MPP
In office
1975–1985
Preceded byNew riding
Succeeded byPat Hayes
ConstituencyEssex North
In office
1967–1975
Preceded byNew riding
Succeeded byRiding abolished
ConstituencyEssex—Kent
Personal details
Born(1919-08-28)August 28, 1919
Essex County, Ontario
DiedMay 19, 2002(2002-05-19) (aged 82)
Essex County, Ontario
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Shirley Ruston
Children5
OccupationCo-op Manager

Background

Ruston was born in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, and educated in the area. He was manager of the Essex County Medical Co-op. He and his wife Shirley lived in Essex where they raised five children.[1]

Politics

Ruston was a councillor in Maidstone Township from 1960 to 1962, reeve of the community from 1963 to 1968, and an Essex County councillor.[1]

He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Fred Cada by 991 votes.[2] He was re-elected in the 1971 election by roughly the same margin, and won with larger majorities in 1975,[3] 1977,[4] and 1981.[5] He served as Liberal Party whip for a period. The Progressive Conservative Party governed Ontario during this period, and Ruston was an opposition member for his legislative career. He was primarily a defender of farmer's interests.

Ruston announced that he would retire from the legislature in mid-1985, and was not a candidate in that year's provincial election.[6]

Later life

He died in 2002 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[7] Fellow MPP and friend Sean Conway described him as a follower of Ontario's Clear Grit tradition, and a believer that "the best government [...] is the smaller unit closest to the people".[8]

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References
  1. "Richard Ruston: Obituary". Windsor Star. May 19, 2002.
  2. "Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
  3. "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  4. "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
  5. Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  6. "2 more MPPs decide to quit". Toronto Star. February 15, 1985. p. F11.
  7. Richardson, Brendan (May 22, 2002). "Rushton lived for family, electors". The Windsor Star. p. A5.
  8. "Tribute to Richard Ruston". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
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