Leslie Peterson (politician)
Leslie Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Little Mountain | |
| In office 1966–1972 Serving with Grace McCarthy | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Phyllis Florence Young Roy Thomas Cummings |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Vancouver Centre | |
| In office 1956–1966 Serving with Alexander Small Matthew | |
| Preceded by | George Churchill Moxham |
| Succeeded by | Herb Capozzi Evan Maurice Wolfe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 6, 1923[1] near Viking, Alberta |
| Died | April 14, 2015 (aged 91) |
| Party | British Columbia Social Credit Party |
| Other political affiliations | Social Credit Party of Canada |
| Spouse |
Agnes Hine (m. 1950) |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia Faculty of Law |
| Profession | lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Branch/service | Royal Canadian Artillery |
| Years of service | 1942-1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Leslie Raymond Peterson CM OBC QC (6 October 1923 – 14 April 2015) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and university chancellor.[2] He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia, representing Vancouver Centre from 1956 to 1966, and Vancouver-Little Mountain from 1966 to 1972. He served as cabinet minister under Premier W. A. C. Bennett as part of the British Columbia Social Credit Party caucus.
Background
He was born near Viking, Alberta, the son of Herman S. Peterson, a native of Norway.[3] He attended Camrose Lutheran College, then joined the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II, serving from 1942 to 1946.[2][4] He completed first year at McGill University in Montreal, then continued his studies by correspondence,[5] and attended the University of London while posted in England.[2][4] After the war he enrolled in the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Law; he graduated in 1949 and was called to the British Columbia bar the same year.[2][4] Initially practising by himself, he co-founded the Vancouver law firm Peterson and Anderson in 1952.[5] He married Agnes Rose Hine in 1950; the couple had two children.[2][3]
Political career
He ran in the 1953 federal election as a Social Credit Party of Canada candidate in the riding of Vancouver Centre, but lost to the incumbent Liberal candidate Ralph Campney.[6] Following the death of Vancouver Centre MLA George Churchill Moxham in 1955, Peterson contested the January 1956 by-election as a British Columbia Social Credit Party candidate. He defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Douglas Jung and others to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, representing the dual-member riding alongside Alexander Small Matthew.[1][7]
Peterson was re-elected in the September 1956 provincial election,[6] and became minister of education under Premier W. A. C. Bennett.[8] He stayed on as education minister after winning re-election in 1960,[6] and additionally took on the role of labour minister to replace Lyle Wicks,[3][8] who lost his own seat.
For the 1966 provincial election he ran in the newly established dual-member riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain, and was elected there alongside Grace McCarthy.[6] Following the resignation of Robert Bonner from cabinet, Peterson was reassigned as Attorney General of British Columbia in May 1968, but concurrently kept the labour portfolio until April 1971.[8] He and McCarthy were both narrowly defeated in the 1972 provincial election by New Democratic Party candidates Phyllis Florence Young and Roy Thomas Cummings.[6] During his time in cabinet, he oversaw the establishment of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Simon Fraser University, and the Provincial Court of British Columbia.[2][4][9]
After politics
He resumed practising law in 1972 after losing re-election, then became a member of the Board of Governors of UBC in 1978, serving as chair from 1979 to 1983.[4][9] He was subsequently elected the University's Chancellor in 1987, serving until 1993.[2][4][9]
He was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 1990,[9] and was also appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2000.[10] He died on April 14, 2015, at age 91.[2]
Electoral record
| 1953 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Ralph Campney | 8,259 | 40.83 | −1.73 | ||||
| Social Credit | Leslie R. Peterson | 4,946 | 24.45 | – | ||||
| Co-operative Commonwealth | Rodney Young | 4,516 | 22.33 | −4.05 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Wendell Willard Wright | 1,749 | 8.65 | −16.02 | ||||
| Labor–Progressive | Ernest Lawrie | 756 | 3.74 | −0.20 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 20,226 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −13.09 | ||||||
References
- ^ a b Dunfee, Donald. "On the Front Cover: Leslie Raymond Peterson, Q.C., LL.B, LL.D" (PDF). The Advocate, Vol. 52 Part 3 May 1994. University of British Columbia. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Leslie PETERSON". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c Normandin, P G (1965). Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1965.
- ^ a b c d e f "Vancouver Senate: Minutes of 14 September 2016" (PDF). University of British Columbia Vancouver Senate. September 14, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b "The Hon. Dr. Leslie R. Peterson, Q.C. (LL.B. '49): Chancellor Elect" (PDF). Law Faculty Newsletter. University of British Columbia. 1987. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Leslie Raymond Peterson". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ "Electoral History of British Columbia 1871-1986" (PDF). Elections BC. p. 264. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c Bennett, Judith Antonik; Verspoor, Frederike (1989). "British Columbia Executive Council Appointments: 1871-1986" (PDF). British Columbia Legislative Library. p. 58. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Members of the Order of British Columbia: P–S". Government of British Columbia. August 14, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ "The Order of Canada". Canada Gazette: Vol. 135, No. 13. March 31, 2001. Archived from the original on September 14, 2007.