Donald Deacon
| Donald Deacon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1967–1975 | |
| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Stong |
| Constituency | York Centre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 24, 1920 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died | September 16, 2003 (aged 83) Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Florence Campbell |
| Children | 6 |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Awards | Military Cross |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canadian |
| Service/branch | Royal Canadian Artillery |
| Years of service | 1942-1945 |
| Rank | Captain |
Donald MacKay Deacon OC OPEI MC (April 24, 1920 – September 16, 2003) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1967 to 1975 who represented the riding of York Centre.
Background
Deacon was born and raised in a family of ten children in Toronto, Ontario.[1] In 1942, he volunteered to serve in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II, rising to the rank of Captain. Deacon, a Forward Observation Officer, travelled with front line infantry in order to direct artillery fire via radio transmission. In later years, he often commented at how accurately George G. Blackburn had captured this role in his book The Guns of Normandy.
Deacon was mentioned in dispatches as his Battery fought its way across France, Belgium, Holland and into Germany. He was awarded the Military Cross for risking his life to save soldiers under fire when his radio failed. Deacon was to be presented the Military Cross from King George VI. Instead, Deacon chose to accept passage on the first ship home to Canada and found himself walking up to his parent's home on Christmas Morning 1945.
Following the war, Deacon married Florence Campbell, sister of his best friend John Campbell. They moved to Deacon's family farm outside of Unionville, Ontario where they raised a family of six (Campbell, David, Martha, Douglas, Richard and Colin). He was one of the founders of Markham Stouffville Hospital. He spent most of his working career in business in the financial sector serving as chair of F.H. Deacon Hodgson Ltd and also served as president of the Canadian Club of Toronto from 1968 to 1969.
Politics
Deacon was elected to the town council of Markham, Ontario and was appointed to the position of deputy reeve.
In 1967 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the 1967 provincial election.[2] He was re-elected in the 1971 election.[3] He represented the Toronto area riding of York Centre until he resigned from the legislature in March 1975.
In 1973, Deacon ran for the Ontario Liberal leadership when Robert Nixon indicated he was stepping aside. Nixon changed his mind, and was re-elected leader with Deacon finishing in third place behind Nixon and Norman Cafik.[4] When his friend and political colleague Barney Danson was appointed Minister of Defence, Deacon worked with Danson and Jacques Hébert to create Katimavik, a national service program designed to enable unemployed youth help others and themselves at the same time.
Later life
Deacon moved to Prince Edward Island in 1981, where he was the founder and chair of Atlantic Canada's first venture capital fund, Atlantic Ventures Trust. He also continued his passion as an active volunteer, becoming president of the PEI Red Cross, national commissioner for Scouts Canada, and founding president of Rail-to-Trails PEI. He chaired the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, served as a member of the board of Mount Allison University (the alma mater of his grandfather Henry Emmerson), and was an early and active member of the Trans Canada Trail board of directors. Deacon's signature can be found on the certificates issued to Canadians who supported the Trans Canada Trail by donating $35.00 to "buy a metre" of the Trail, one of the Trail's earliest fundraising efforts. Deacon proudly completed a Millennium Project to celebrate his 80 birthday where he biked 200 km on the Trail in each of Canada's provinces and territories (except Nunavut), making it as far North as Tuktoyaktuk.
In 1987, Deacon was made a member of the Order of Canada. In 2003, he was presented with the Order of Prince Edward Island and was promoted to officer of the Order of Canada.
Exactly one week prior to his death in September 2003, Deacon was interviewed by Shelagh Rogers on CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada. It was the first in her series about Order of Canada recipients. During the moving interview, which Rogers often replayed as one of her favorites, Deacon recounted a conversation he had with a close friend in the final days of World War II. They were waiting as the infantry cleared out a machine gun nest along the road ahead and asked one another what they could do to prevent a recurrence of the horrible waste of life they had just survived. The two men agreed that all they could do was to go home, raise a family of caring individuals, contribute to the lives of others in their communities, and encourage everyone to travel the world so they could experience and gain respect for other cultures and people. Their conversation ended when they were given the all clear. Deacon's friend climbed back into his Scout car, proceeded down the road and was killed instantly as he passed over an anti-tank mine. The war ended two days later. Deacon carried that conversation with him throughout his life.
Deacon died of leukemia at a hospital in Charlottetown in September 2003. He was 83.[5]
References
- ↑ Charles George Douglas Roberts; Arthur L. Tunnell, eds. (1984). Canadian Who's Who. University of Toronto Press.
- ↑ Canadian Press (October 18, 1967). "Tories win, but...". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). p. B2.
- ↑ "Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
- ↑ Peter Oliver (1975). John Saywell, ed. Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs (1973). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 124.
- ↑ Griffin, Kathleen (September 18, 2003). "Former Markham MPP dies". Markham, Ont: Markham Economist & Sun. p. 1.