John Wintermeyer

Wintermeyer was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario. His parents were Alfred and Caroline Wintermeyer. He attended University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana and graduated with a degree in Commerce and Philosophy in 1939. He then went to Harvard Law School and later Dalhousie Law School. He became a lawyer and returned to his home town to begin his practice. In 1949 he established his own firm which became known as Wintermeyer Askin Casey Smith. In 1944, he marry Helen Delaney and together they raised seven children. After Helen died in 1972, he married Elizabeth Ann Lang Greene in 1980.{{cite web |title=John Wintermeyer |url=https://donate.theworkingcentre.org/john-wintermeyer |publisher=The Working Centre |date=1993}}

Wintermeyer enter politics as a municipal alderman for Kitchener City Council. He served three terms before moving to provincial politics.{{cite news |title=John Wintermeyer, Liberal Former leader earned 'respect' |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=December 22, 1993 |page=A16}}

In the 1955 provincial election, Wintermeyer ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Waterloo North. He defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent Stanley Francis Leavine by 2,264 votes.{{cite news |author=Canadian Press |title=Complete Results of Ontario Voting by Constituencies |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=June 10, 1955 |location=Ottawa |page=4 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vCAvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TN0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4268%2C2256424}}

and was chosen leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1958.

In the 1959 election, the Liberals under Wintermeyer's leadership increased their legislative caucus from 10 to 21, but were unable to prevent the ruling Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Premier Leslie Frost from winning another majority.{{cite news |author=Canadian Press |title=Complete Results of Ontario Voting by Constituencies |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=June 12, 1959 |location=Ottawa |page=26 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Yh0yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d-QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6095%2C2812390}} In the campaign, Wintermeyer promoted policies such as universal medicare, improvements to general welfare assistance, amalgamation of the various municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, and full funding of Catholic schools. Wintermeyer had long been an advocate of a provincial sales tax, which put him in a difficult position when the Frost government introduced a 3% retail sales tax in 1961. While Wintermeyer personally supported the tax, his caucus did not, and he was forced to publicly renounce his support.

In the 1963 election, the Liberals increased their total seats by two, but Wintermeyer lost his seat of Waterloo North, and he resigned as party leader.{{cite news |author=Canadian Press |title=78 in Tory Blue Wave -- 23 Is All Grits Saved |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 26, 1963 |location=Windsor, Ontario |page=25 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QDM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=T1EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6134%2C3886120}} He was succeeded as party leader by Andy Thompson.

After leaving politics, He served as director of television station CKCO in Kitchener and was also a director at Kent Trust until it merged with Metropolitan Trust. He served as chairman of the board of Bauer Industries and director of York Centre Corporation. He also served as chair of the Metro Toronto Roman Catholic high schools and the Canadian Olympic Association. He died in 1993 after suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease.

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Category:1916 births

Category:1993 deaths

Category:Canadian Roman Catholics

Category:Kitchener, Ontario city councillors

Category:Leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party

Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs

Category:University of Notre Dame alumni

Category:Schulich School of Law alumni

Category:Harvard Law School alumni

Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario