Walter Gordon
Walter Lockhart Gordon was a prominent Canadian politician and accountant, born on January 27, 1906, in Toronto. He was raised in a military family and later pursued an education at prestigious institutions, including Upper Canada College and the Royal Military College of Canada. His career in public service began during World War II, where he held significant roles in the Bank of Canada and the Canadian Ministry of Finance. Gordon became a member of the Liberal Party in 1955 and was elected to Parliament in 1962, serving as finance minister under Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson from 1963 to 1965. Known for advocating economic nationalism, he founded the Committee for an Independent Canada after leaving politics in 1968. Additionally, Gordon contributed to education as chancellor of York University from 1973 to 1977 and was involved in various philanthropic efforts through the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. He was recognized with numerous honors, including being made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Walter Gordon passed away in 1987 at the age of eighty-one.
Subject Terms
Walter Gordon
Accountant
- Born: January 27, 1906
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario
- Died: March 21, 1987
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario
Contribution: Walter Gordon was a Canadian businessman, politician, and public servant who became known as the voice of Canadian economic nationalism. Behind this concept lay the notion that Canada should forge stronger ties with England in an attempt to curb increasing American influence on Canadian politics and economics. Gordon’s ideas had a significant impact on Canadian politics and economic development.
Early Life and Education
Walter Lockhart Gordon was born on January 27, 1906, in Toronto. He was the oldest child of Lieutenant Colonel Harry Duncan Lockhart Gordon, who had served as an army officer during the First World War. Gordon and his two brothers spent part of their youth living in England. During this time, Gordon began to develop the sense of national pride that would influence his career in public service. Returning to Canada, he studied at the Upper Canada College, a private school in Toronto, continuing on to his father’s alma mater, the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. In 1935, Gordon joined the family business, becoming a chartered accountant. He soon became a partner.
Political Career
Gordon’s economic and political activities began during World War II, when he held positions at the Bank of Canada and in the Canadian Ministry of Finance, where he worked as an assistant to the deputy minister. During the postwar period, Gordon became an increasingly important figure in Canadian economic and political life. He was chairman of the Royal Commission on Administrative Classifications in the Public Service, and he became chairman of the executive committee of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs.
Gordon officially entered the world of politics in 1955 as a member of the Liberal Party. In the same year, he had been appointed to chair the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects, a position he held for two years. During this period, Gordon formulated some of his controversial yet influential statements on the state of Canadian economics.
In 1962, Gordon was elected a member of Parliament for Davenport, Ontario, holding the seat until 1968. He was appointed to the cabinet of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, where he served as finance minister from 1963 to 1965. During his more than six years in service, Gordon held a number of positions in the Canadian House of Commons and was a member of numerous committees, always pushing for measures to give Canada greater control over its own economy.
Choosing to return to the private sector in 1968, Gordon cofounded the Committee for an Independent Canada, which advocated for his brand of economic nationalism. Later, from 1973 to 1977, Gordon served as chancellor of York University in Ontario. He also wrote and spoke extensively on Canadian government and politics.
Personal Life
In 1965, Walter, his wife Elizabeth, and his brother Duncan established the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation to support various public policies of importance to the family; in recent years, the foundation’s focus has been on water resource management in Canada and community development issues for the native peoples of northern Canada. Walter and Elizabeth Gordon’s children, Kyra Montagu, Jane Glassco, and John Gordon, took over leadership of the board following the deaths of Walter and Gordon.
Walter Gordon received numerous honors, including being made a Companion of the Order of Canada and a Commander of the British Empire. He died in 1987 at age eighty-one.
Bibliography
Azzi, Stephen. Walter Gordon and the Rise of Canadian Nationalism. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s UP, 1999. Print.
“Gordon, The Hon. Walter Lockhart, PC, CC, LLD, FCA.” Parliament of Canada. Library of Parliament, n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2013.
Gordon, Walter L. A Political Memoir. Toronto: McClelland, 1977. Print.
Smith, Denis. “Walter Lockhart Gordon.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation, 2012. Web. 21 Aug. 2013.
“Walter L. Gordon.” Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Aug. 2013.