George Spotton (March 23, 1877 – April 20, 1936) was a Canadian Member of Parliament between 1927 and 1935. Spotton received a bachelor's degree in history from Queen's University, graduating in 1895. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he briefly served in the Canadian Army (now the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

) as a broadcast journalist. He was born to Margaret Hickson and James Spotton in the township of

Howick, Ontario The Township of Howick is a municipality in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northeast corner of Huron County near the Bruce County border, east of Wingham. Its largest communities are Fordwich, Gorrie and Wroxeter. Smaller ...

. He died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at the age of 59.

Political career

Spotton was elected as a member of parliament for the

Huron North Huron North was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1882, and from 1917 to 1953. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. I ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

region, where he ran as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. He advocated less autonomy for provinces and the implementation of a Canadian cultural program. This program was scrapped at the time, but revived almost a century later by the Liberals. George Spotton is rarely recognized as a pioneer of Canadian cultural issues, mainly because of his unpopular stance on relations with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, in which he pushed for stronger ties with their Southern neighbour. In his political views he was also a staunch monarchist, well known for his belief that the only true Canadian men were those with British backgrounds. He also argued fervently against the contemporaneous influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe on the basis that they showed little interest in Canada and Canadian politics.

Election campaign

In his 1927 election campaign George Spotton held the motto "We Will Win" and though he won, garnering 1,915 votes, it was hardly an endorsement of leadership of any level. He polled about 1,891 votes only half of the eligible voters in Horwick county. George Spotton was then accused of corrupt election practise when several voters said they were shaken down by police for money, this was later discovered to be an attempt to mudsling at George Spotton. He was not the only member facing trouble. His brother in-law was charged with criminal corruption, but cleared for the same reasons. This election campaign turned into a political drama of sorts reminiscent of the novel ''

All the King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U. ...

''. With leaders on either side facing off in a bitter election campaign attacking the integrity of everyone involved.Canada: A National History,1st edition, Pearson Education., 2003.

Business career

In addition to a political career, George Spotton was also involved in business and business training. Founder of the Spotton Business College, he provided business training for local townspeople. First established in

Wingham, Ontario Wingham (2016 census population 2,934) is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario, Canada, which is located in Huron County. Wingham became part of North Huron in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation on ...

, it grew to twelve franchises in six cities. These colleges operated for thirty-five years. George Spotton also provided free tuition for the children of soldiers serving overseas during

References

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Faces of Wingham
— North Huron District Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Spotton, George 1877 births 1936 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Deaths from lung cancer People from Wingham, Ontario 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada