John Eakins

John F. Eakins (December 8, 1922 - September 16, 1998) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1990 who represented the riding of Victoria—Haliburton. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.

John Eakins
Ontario MPP
In office
1975–1990
Preceded byRonald Glen Hodgson
Succeeded byDennis Drainville
ConstituencyVictoria—Haliburton
Personal details
Born(1922-12-08)December 8, 1922
Mariposa Township, Victoria County, Ontario
DiedSeptember 16, 1998(1998-09-16) (aged 75)
Hamilton, Ontario
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Iris May
Children3
OccupationBarber

Background

Eakins was born in Mariposa Township in Victoria County, Ontario and educated in Lindsay, Ontario. Eakins was a barber and hairdresser. Eakin was predeceased by his wife, Iris, who died in the mid-1980s and they had three children.

Politics

He served as a councillor in Lindsay for three years, and as mayor for six. As Mayor, he led the twinning of the Town of Lindsay with Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1969.[1] Eakins was also a governor of Fleming College, and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion. He also served as Warden of Victoria County, Ontario.

He first sought election to the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative Glen Hodgson by 2,016 votes in Victoria—Haliburton. He ran again in the 1971 election, and lost to Hodgson by 2,119 votes.

The Ontario Liberal Party increased its legislative representation in the 1975 provincial election, and Eakins defeated Hodgson by 1,023 votes in his third attempt.[2] He was re-elected by greater margins in the elections of 1977,[3] 1981,[4] 1985[5] and 1987.[6]

After serving in opposition for forty-two years, the Liberal Party formed a minority government after the 1985 election. David Peterson, the province's new Premier, appointed Eakins as his Minister of Tourism and Recreation on June 26, 1985.[7] He held this position until September 29, 1987, when he was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs.[8] He left cabinet on August 2, 1989.[9]

Eakins did not run in the 1990 election.

Cabinet positions
Ontario Provincial Government of David Peterson
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor Office Successor
Bernard Grandmaitre Minister of Municipal Affairs
1987-1989		 John Sweeney
Claude Bennett Minister of Tourism and Recreation
1985-1987		 Hugh O'Neil

Later life

After leaving provincial office, he remained active in the Rotary Club of Lindsay and numerous other community activities.[10] Eakins was the driving force behind the creation of the Lindsay and District Sports Hall of Fame, developed to honour athletes, coaches and supporters of sporting activities in the County.[11]

Eakins died in 1998, after undergoing cancer treatments in Hamilton, Ontario.

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References
  1. |Lindsay Post, September 4, 2009
  2. "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  3. "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
  4. Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Election results for Metro Toronto ridings". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  5. "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
  6. "Results from individual ridings". The Windsor Star. September 11, 1987. p. F2.
  7. "Liberals pledge reform as they take over in Ontario". The Gazette. Montreal, Que. June 27, 1985. p. B1.
  8. "Wrye gets new cabinet job". The Windsor Star. September 29, 1987. p. A1.
  9. Allen, Gene (August 3, 1989). "Veterans bear load as 8 ministers cut in Peterson shuffle". The Globe and Mail. p. A1.
  10. | Tribute in the Legislative Assembly, September 30, 1998
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2013-05-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)|LADSHF History
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