Leslie Warner Oke (June 18, 1877 – 1955) was an

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

farmer and political figure. He represented

Lambton East Lambton East was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created from Lambton riding. The East Riding of the county of Lambton was ...

in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1919 to 1929 as a United Farmers member. Oke defeated John Burton Martyn to win a seat in the provincial assembly in 1919. He supported the UFO-Labour government of E.C. Drury from 1919 to 1923 and remained with what was becoming the Progressive Party under the leadership of

Manning Doherty Manning William Doherty (September 27, 1875 - September 26, 1938) was a farmer, businessman and politician serving as Ontario's Minister of Agriculture during the United Farmers of Ontario- Labour government of 1919 to 1923 and as leader of th ...

but he refused to accept

William Raney William Edgar Raney (1859–1933) was a lawyer, politician and judge in Ontario, Canada, in the early twentieth century. He was known for his opposition to gambling on horse racing and the sale of alcohol. Early life Born on December 8, 1859, ...

when he was elected as leader of the Progressive bloc in 1925 as Raney was not a farmer. Oke and Beniah Bowman refused to sit with the Progressive caucus and sat as UFO MLAs instead. After the departure of Bowman and the election of two new UFO MLAs,

Farquhar Oliver Farquhar Robert Oliver (March 6, 1904 – January 22, 1989) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. Oliver was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a United Farmers of Ontario Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 1926 provi ...

and

Thomas Farquhar Thomas Farquhar (January 28, 1875 – December 24, 1962) was a Canadian politician and businessman from northern Ontario. Farquhar served in municipal politics in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario becoming the city’s seventh mayor from 1920 to 1922. ...

, in the 1926 provincial election, Oke led a rump of three UFO MLAs until he lost his seat in the 1929 election to Thomas Howard Fraleigh. He attempted to return to the legislature as a UFO candidate, nominated by the local United Farmers of Ontario association and endorsed by the

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario) The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section) – The Farmer-Labor Party of Ontario, or more commonly known as the Ontario CCF, was a democratic socialism, democratic socialist provincial political party in Ontario that existed from 19 ...

in the 1934 provincial election but was defeated by Milton Duncan McVicar who was nominated at a joint

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and Progressive nominating meeting but sat as a LIberal MPP upon his election. Oke was born in Alvinston, Ontario, the son of James Oke, and educated there. In 1911, he married Mary McPhedrain. He served as a member of the municipal council for Brooke Township before entering provincial politics.

References

* ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1928'', AL Normandin

External links

*
''Lambton County's Hundred Years, 1849 - 1949'', V Lauriston (1949)
1877 births 1955 deaths Leaders of the United Farmers of Ontario/Progressives People from Lambton County United Farmers of Ontario MLAs {{Ontario-MPP-stub