Sandy Cameron
{{Short description|Canadian politician and businessman}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =
| name = Sandy Cameron
| caption =
| birth_name = Alexander MacLean Cameron
| birth_date = December 16, 1938
| birth_place = Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|12|25|1938|12|16}}
| death_place = Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Canada
| office = MLA for Guysborough
| term_start = June 5, 1973
| term_end = November 6, 1984
| predecessor = Angus MacIsaac
| successor = Chuck MacNeil
| party = Liberal
| occupation = Businessman
}}
Alexander MacLean "Sandy" Cameron (December 16, 1938 – December 25, 2004) was a Canadian politician and businessman. He represented the electoral district of Guysborough in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1973 to 1984. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.{{Cite web|url=http://nslegislature.ca/pdfs/about/ConstituencyHistories/guysborough-eastern%20shore-tracadie.pdf|title=Electoral History for Guysborough|publisher=Nova Scotia Legislative Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922215847/http://nslegislature.ca/pdfs/about/ConstituencyHistories/guysborough-eastern%20shore-tracadie.pdf|archive-date=2017-09-22|access-date=2018-04-02}}
Early life and career
Born in 1938 at Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, Cameron was the son of Alexander Whitcomb Cameron and Mary Kathryn (MacLean) Cameron.{{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/27|accessdate=2015-08-28|year=1984|publisher=Public Archives of Nova Scotia|isbn=0-88871-050-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/legislativeassem0000unse/page/27 27]}} A businessman by career, Cameron was educated at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and McGill University. He married Shirley Elaine Vatcher in 1961. Both his father, Alexander W. Cameron, and his grandfather, Alexander F. Cameron served as MLAs for Guysborough County.{{cite news|title='Stanfield type' wins N.S. Liberal leadership|work=The Globe and Mail|date=June 9, 1980}} His son, Alex Cameron (born 1964), became an Anglican Church of Canada priest and was in 2022 elected bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.{{cite news |last1=Stinelli |first1=Mick |title=Pittsburgh Anglicans Select New Bishop |url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/faith-religion/2022/04/30/pittsburgh-anglican-diocese-bishop-reverand-alex-cameron/stories/202204300051 |access-date=28 October 2022 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=30 April 2022}}
Political career
Cameron entered provincial politics in 1973, winning a byelection in the Guysborough riding.{{cite news|title=Liberals gain seat from PCs in N.S. voting|work=The Globe and Mail|date=June 6, 1973}}{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/By%20Election%201973.pdf|title=Returns of by-election for the House of Assembly 1973|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|year=1973|accessdate=2015-08-28}} In August 1973, Cameron was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Fisheries.{{cite news|title=Regan again shuffles Nova Scotia Cabinet|work=The Globe and Mail|date=August 21, 1973}} He was re-elected 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=62|accessdate=2015-08-28}} and continued to serve in the fisheries portfolio. In February 1976, he was given an additional role in cabinet as Minister of Lands and Forests. In October 1976, Gerald Regan shuffled his cabinet, moving Cameron to Minister of Development.{{cite news|title=Three new ministers join Regan cabinet|work=The Globe and Mail|date=October 28, 1976}} Cameron was re-elected by 13 votes in the 1978 election,{{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=62|accessdate=2015-08-28}} but moved to the opposition benches as Regan's Liberal government was defeated.{{cite news|title=Conservatives sweep Liberals in Nova Scotia|work=The Globe and Mail|date=September 20, 1978}}
=As leader of the Liberal Party=
On April 3, 1980, Cameron announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.{{cite news|title=2 seek N.S. Liberal leadership|work=The Globe and Mail|date=April 4, 1980}} At the leadership convention on June 8, Cameron defeated MLA Vince MacLean on the third ballot to win the leadership.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19800610&id=I4kxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=caQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2799,4226979&hl=en|title='County Boy' heads Liberals after Nova Scotia convention|work=The Montreal Gazette|date=June 10, 1980|accessdate=2015-08-28}} In the 1981 election, the Liberals were reduced to 13 seats as John Buchanan's Tories were re-elected with a bigger majority.{{cite news|title=PCs win crushing victory in N.S.|work=The Globe and Mail|date=October 7, 1981}} However, Cameron was re-elected in his own riding by over 600 votes,{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201981.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1981|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=65|accessdate=2015-08-28}} and continued to serve as party leader.{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Harris|title=A spurned prophet singing the blues|work=The Globe and Mail|date=July 16, 1982}} He led the Liberals into the 1984 election, but the party was reduced to 6 seats, while their popular vote dropped to 31 per cent.{{cite news|title=Buchanan Tories crush opponents in N.S. election|work=The Globe and Mail|date=November 7, 1984}} Cameron was also defeated in his own riding, losing to Progressive Conservative Chuck MacNeil by 390 votes.{{cite web|url=http://electionsnovascotia.ca/sites/default/files/General%20Election%201984.pdf|title=Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1984|publisher=Elections Nova Scotia|page=69|accessdate=2015-08-28}} Cameron announced in December that he would resign as Opposition leader when an interim leader in the legislature was chosen.{{cite news|title=Cameron will step down as Opposition leader|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=December 18, 1984}} He was succeeded by Vince MacLean.{{cite news|title=Nova Scotia Liberals pick interim House leader|work=The Globe and Mail|date=January 10, 1985}}
Death
Cameron died on December 25, 2004, aged 66, in his hometown of Sherbrooke after a brief battle with cancer.{{cite news|title=Best premier we never had dies|work=The Daily News|location=Halifax|date=December 27, 2004}}{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/12/28/fNovaScotia200.raw.html|title=Cameron dies from cancer|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=December 28, 2004|accessdate=2014-10-24|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229154001/http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2004/12/28/fNovaScotia200.raw.html|archivedate=December 29, 2004}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
- [http://www.utpress.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/cw2w3.cgi?p=cameron&t=0&d=887 Entry from Canadian Who's Who]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Sandy}}
Category:Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia
Category:McGill University alumni
Category:Nova Scotia Agricultural College alumni
Category:Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs
Category:Nova Scotia political party leaders
Category:People from Guysborough County, Nova Scotia
Category:20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly