Robert Wayne Gibson (November 14, 1932 – March 26, 1966) was a politician in

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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He was a Liberal member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1962 to 1963 who represented the northwestern riding of

Kenora Kenora (), previously named Rat Portage (), is a city situated on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, close to the Manitoba boundary, and about east of Winnipeg by road. It is the seat of Kenora District. The history of the name exten ...

. From 1963 to 1966 he sat as a Liberal-Labour member. He died in office after a short illness from an infection of the

pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...

Background

He was born in Kenora in 1932. He spent his education at Queen's University in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, and later went to

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart (architect), John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is n ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He returned to Kenora where he worked as a lawyer.

Offices

Gibson ran as a Liberal candidate in the northern Ontario riding of

which was called after the death of long-serving Liberal-Labour member

Albert Wren Albert Wren (December 9, 1916 – November 1, 1961) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal-Labour member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1951 to 1961 for the northwestern Ontario riding of Kenora. Background He was bo ...

. He defeated Progressive Conservative opponent Peter Robertson by 1,178 votes. As a means of marginalizing the NDP candidate, in the 1963 general election, Gibson ran as a Liberal-Labour candidate and defeated the PC candidate,

Leo Bernier Leo Edward Bernier (August 12, 1928 – June 28, 2010) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1966 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Bernier ...

, by 840 votes. He served as an opposition member facing Progressive Conservative governments under Premier

John Robarts John Parmenter Robarts (January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th premier of Ontario from 1961 to 1971. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Early life Roba ...

. Gibson was interested in native affairs and flew to several remote reserves to observe living conditions. He died on March 26, 1966, of a

infection.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Robert Wayne 1932 births 1966 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Kenora 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario