George Ben
George Ben | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1967–1971 | |
| Preceded by | Bev Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Nick Leluk |
| Constituency | Humber |
| In office 1965–1967 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Gould |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Constituency | Bracondale |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 5, 1925 Slovakia |
| Died | December 17, 1978 (aged 53) Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Ruby Elizabeth Hall (m. 1952) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canadian |
| Branch/service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1942-1945 |
| Rank | Gunner |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
George Ben (September 5, 1925 – December 17, 1978) was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Bracondale and then Humber in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1965 as a Liberal member until his defeat in the 1971 provincial election. Ben was a member of Toronto City Council in the early 1960s, representing Ward 5, and returned to council in the 1972 municipal election. He was re-elected for the final time in 1978, and died in office on December 17, 1978.
Background
[edit]Ben was born in Slovakia, the son of John Ben. Ben was educated in Toronto, at the University of Toronto and was trained as lawyer at Osgoode Hall Law School.[1] He served in World War II in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a gunner in a bomber.[1] In 1952, he married Ruby Elizabeth Hall.[1]
Politics
[edit]Ben was first elected to Toronto City Council in 1962, representing Ward 5, placing first, which meant he was also concurrently a member of Metropolitan Toronto Council.[1] In 1964, he ran for Toronto's Board of Control, but lost.[1]
In 1965, after the death of Liberal MPP Joseph Gould, he won the Liberal Party of Ontario's nomination for the Bracondale constituency.[1] He won the September 15 by-election, becoming the last MPP from Bracondale, as the constituency was redistributed out of existence for the 1967 Ontario general election.[2]
He decided to run in the Humber constituency in 1967, which did not contain any part of his previous one.[3] The constituency was located in Toronto's west-end, incorporating the old village of Swansea, parts of Etobiocke, and the City of York.[3] He was up against a three-term Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario incumbent, Bev Lewis – the former five-term Reeve of the old Etobicoke Township.[3] Ben won a very tight race, but not as was expected.[4] He unseated Lewis, but the real surprise was that the incumbent came in third place.[4] Ben narrowly defeated New Democratic Party of Ontario (NDP) candidate Kealey Cummings by 149 votes.[4]
Later life
[edit]In 1978, Ben ran again for Toronto City Council in Ward 4, approximately the southern portion of his old Bracondale constituency's boundaries.[5] In the November council elections, he placed second to future Toronto mayor Art Eggleton, making him the junior alderman for the ward.[5] Only about a month later, Ben had a heart attack and died in St. Joseph's hospital on December 17.[5] His death forced the adjournment of the next-day's council meeting. His funeral was on December 20, attended by three former mayors and most of city council.[5] The City of Toronto named a parkette for him, the George Ben parkette in his old neighbourhood.[6]
Ben is interred in the Park Lawn Cemetery in Etobicoke.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f McNenly, Pat (August 25, 1965). "Profile: He hustles". The Toronto Star. Toronto. p. 8.
- ^ Star Staff (September 16, 1965). "Ben says he will fight for one-city Metro". The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto. p. 13.
- ^ a b c Humeniuk, Taras (October 6, 1967). "A maverick tackles a veteran in Humber". The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto. p. 29.
- ^ a b c Star Staff (October 17, 1967). "George Ben pulls Humber upset". The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto. p. 10.
- ^ a b c d Star Staff (December 18, 1978). "City maverick, George Ben, dead at 53". The Toronto Star. Toronto. p. 3.
- ^ "George Ben Park". Toronto Parks and Recreation. Toronto: City of Toronto. 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.