Charles Murray Tatham (November 8, 1925 - February 3, 2016) was a former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a

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 ...

from 1987 to 1990.

Background

Tatham is a former shareholder and vice-president of Wood-Gen Supply Ltd. He served in the Oxford Rifles Reserve from 1940 to 1943, and was a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environ ...

officer from 1943 to 1945.

Politics

Tatham was an alderman in the city of Woodstock in 1956, served as mayor of the city from 1957 to 1958, and was an alderman again from 1979 to 1987. He ran for the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia' ...

in the elections of

1968 The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

, in the riding of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. He was defeated on all three occasions. The closest he came to winning was in 1974, when he lost to Progressive Conservative Bruce Halliday by only 1,428 votes. Tatham was elected to the Ontario legislature for the riding of Oxford in the 1987 provincial election, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative

Dick Treleaven Richard L. Treleaven (born July 11, 1934) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Background Treleaven was born in Goder ...

by 2,874 votes. He served as a backbench supporter of

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Backg ...

's government for the next three years. The Liberals were defeated in the 1990 provincial election, and Tatham was reduced to a third-place finish in Oxford, losing to

Kimble Sutherland Kimble Sutherland (born May 15, 1966) is former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995. Background He first became active in politics in 1981, when he joined ...

of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

After politics

Tatham was chair of the Collingwood Airport Services Board. The ''Charlie Tatham Peace Park'' is named in his honour in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 40,902 according to the 2016 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, at the head of the non-navigable Thames River, approximately 128 km from ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tatham, Charlie 1925 births 2016 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Woodstock, Ontario People from Clearview, Ontario Politicians from Simcoe County