Jack Pierce (politician)

Franklin "Jack" Pierce (May 24, 1937 – November 22, 2022) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1987 who represented the northern Ontario riding of Rainy River.

Jack Pierce
Ontario MPP
In office
1985–1987
Preceded byPat Reid
Succeeded byHoward Hampton
ConstituencyRainy River
Personal details
Born(1937-05-24)May 24, 1937
Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada
DiedNovember 22, 2022(2022-11-22) (aged 85)
Atikokan, Ontario, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Residence(s)Fort Frances, Ontario
OccupationElectrician

Background

Pierce was born in Fort Frances, Ontario, and educated in the area. He worked as an electrician.

Politics

Pierce served as reeve and councillor for Atikokan Township.[1]

He sought election to the Ontario legislature for Rainy River in the 1981 provincial election but lost to Pat Reid of the Liberal Party by 426 votes.[2]

He supported Frank Miller in his bid for party leader in early 1985.[3]

Pierce tried again in the 1985 election. During the election campaign he criticized local Indians for expecting more "giveaways and handouts". He said he would not campaign on reserves as he received less than 10% of the votes from those constituencies. Some Conservative supporters were less sanguine about Pierce's candidacy as they believed his beliefs were too far to the right.[4] Despite this, Pierce defeated New Democratic Party candidate Howard Hampton by 278 votes.[5] The Progressive Conservatives won a tenuous minority government in this election, but were defeated in the legislature in June 1985 by a motion of non-confidence.

In November 1985, he supported Larry Grossman for party leader after Miller stepped down.[6] Pierce served for the next two years as a member of the opposition. He finished third in the 1987 election, losing to Howard Hampton by 2,051 votes.[7]

Pierce died in Atikokan on November 22, 2022.[8]

References
  1. "Little election news: Hydro line cuts off Atikokan from Ontario TV". The Globe and Mail. September 6, 1975. p. 5.
  2. Canadian Press (March 20, 1981). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22.
  3. Stephens, Robert (January 16, 1985). "Timbrell would broaden tax freeze". The Globe and Mail. p. 5.
  4. Tenzen, Michael (April 13, 1985). "Rivals aim to oust Liberals from lone northern fiefdom". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.
  5. "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
  6. Hickl-Szabo, Regina (October 13, 1985). "5-stop north tour tough for Timbrell". The Globe and Mail. p. 13.
  7. "Results from individual ridings". The Windsor Star. September 11, 1987. p. F2.
  8. Franklin 'Jack' Pierce obituary
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