Percy Gaum

{{short description|Canadian politician}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image =

| name =Percy Gaum

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|10|19}}

| birth_place = Sydney, Nova Scotia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|6|2|1915|10|19}}

| death_place =Sydney, Nova Scotia

| office1 = MLA for Cape Breton Nova

| term_start1 = 1956

| term_end1 = 1970

| predecessor1 = new riding

| successor1 = Paul MacEwan

| office2 =

| term_start2 =

| term_end2 =

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 =

| residence=

| party = Progressive Conservative

| occupation =Merchant, real estate broker

}}

Percy (Pinky) Gaum (October 19, 1915 – June 22, 1994) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton Nova in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1970. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party.{{cite web|url=http://nslegislature.ca/pdfs/about/ConstituencyHistories/sydney-whitney%20pier.pdf|title=Electoral History for Sydney-Whitney Pier|publisher=Nova Scotia Legislative Library|accessdate=2015-02-19}}

Gaum was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, part of the Whitney Pier Jewish community which arose mainly from immigration from eastern European countries in the early 1900s. He was one of a number of descendants of those immigrants who rose to positions of prominence in a variety of professional and business fields.see list at "Cape Breton Jewish Community: Whitney Pier" http://www.jewishcapebreton.ca/historical/pier/; see, as one other example, Nathan Cohen (critic) He was educated at the Sydney Academy and was a clothing merchant and real estate broker. He married Hannah Mandelbaum in 1948.{{cite book|last1=Elliott|first1=Shirley B.|title=The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758–1983 : a biographical directory|url=https://archive.org/details/legislativeassem0000unse/page/157|accessdate=2018-05-15|year=1984|publisher=Public Archives of Nova Scotia|isbn=0-88871-050-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/legislativeassem0000unse/page/157 157]}} He died in a hospital at Sydney in 1994.{{cite news|title=Obituaries|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=June 23, 1994|page=C3}}

Gaum entered provincial politics in the 1956 election, winning the new riding of Cape Breton Nova.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201956.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1956|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=16|year=1956|accessdate=2015-03-06}} He was re-elected in the 1960,{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201960.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1960|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=13|year=1960|accessdate=2015-03-06}} 1963,{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201963.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1963|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=12|year=1963|accessdate=2015-03-06}} and 1967 elections.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201967.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1967|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=13|year=1967|accessdate=2015-03-06}} On July 16, 1968, Gaum was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Public Welfare. In February 1969, he was named Minister of Mines following the resignation of Donald Smith.{{cite news|title=Mines Minister gives up post for N.S. firm|work=The Globe and Mail|date=February 22, 1969}} Gaum was defeated when he ran for re-election in 1970, losing to New Democrat Paul MacEwan by 61 votes.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201970.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1970|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=14|year=1970|accessdate=2015-03-06}} Gaum made two unsuccessful attempts to regain the seat, finishing second in the 1974 election,{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201974.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1974|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=35|year=1974|accessdate=2015-03-06}} and third in 1978.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201978.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1978|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=36|year=1978|accessdate=2015-03-06}}