Robert Winters

The Honourable Robert Winters PC
Winters, c. 1942-48
Minister of Trade and Commerce
In office January 4, 1966 – March 29, 1968
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson
Preceded by	Mitchell Sharp
Succeeded by	Jean-Luc Pepin (acting)
Minister of Public Works
In office September 7, 1953 – June 20, 1957
Prime Minister	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	Walter Harris (acting)
Succeeded by	Howard Charles Green
Minister of Resources and Development
In office January 18, 1950 – September 16, 1953
Prime Minister	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Jean Lesage
Minister of Reconstruction and Supply
In office November 15, 1948 – January 17, 1950
Prime Minister	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	C. D. Howe
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Member of Parliament for York West
In office November 8, 1965 – June 24, 1968
Preceded by	Red Kelly
Succeeded by	Philip Givens
Member of Parliament for Queens--Lunenburg (Lunenburg; 1949–1953) (Queens--Lunenburg; 1945–1949)
In office June 11, 1945 – June 10, 1957
Preceded by	John James Kinley
Succeeded by	Lloyd Crouse
Personal details
Born	Robert Henry Winters (1910-08-18)August 18, 1910 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	October 10, 1969(1969-10-10) (aged 59) Monterey, California, U.S.
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Eleanor McRobie ​ (m. 1936)​
Children	2
Education	Mount Allison University (BA) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MSc)
Profession	Engineer
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Canadian Army
Years of service	1939–1945
Rank	Lieutenant-colonel
Unit	Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Battles/wars	World War II

Robert Henry Winters PC (August 18, 1910 – October 10, 1969) was a Canadian politician and businessman.

Life and career

Born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, the son of a fishing captain, Winters went to Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and then to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to complete his degree in electrical engineering. He worked for Northern Electric before joining the army in World War II, eventually becoming a lieutenant-colonel. He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1945 general election as a Liberal for the riding of Queens—Lunenburg in Nova Scotia. Winters was appointed to Cabinet in 1948, and served as minister of public works, among other portfolios, under Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent.

Defeated along with the St. Laurent government in the 1957 election, Winters entered the corporate world, becoming a chief executive officer at a series of companies. He was hired as a special advisor to the Newfoundland government to help negotiate the Churchill Falls deal, for which he became highly popular in that province.

He was persuaded to return to politics by Lester Pearson, and won the Toronto seat of York West in the 1965 election, becoming minister of trade and commerce in Pearson's government. He was seen as close to the business community and far more fiscally conservative than Walter L. Gordon. He originally announced that he would not seek to replace the retiring Pearson, but changed his mind and ran to succeed Pearson at the 1968 Liberal leadership convention, coming in second to Pierre Trudeau.

Winters then left politics, to become president and director of Brazilian Light and Power and a vice president of CIBC. Also, he was very involved in the new York University and served as the first chair of its board of governors.

Death

In 1969, while in California, he suffered a heart attack during a game of tennis. He died at age 59 in an ambulance on his way to hospital.

Winters College at York University is named in his honour.

Electoral record

1965 Canadian federal election: York West
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert H. Winters	43,807	47.7	-3.7
	Progressive Conservative	George Hogan	27,071	29.5	-0.9
	New Democratic	Martha Brewin	20,993	22.9	+5.5
Total valid votes			91,871	100.0

References

• Marble, A.E. Nova Scotians at home and abroad: biographical sketches of over six hundred native born Nova Scotians (1977) pp. 409–10 ISBN 0-88999-074-3
• Robert Winters – Parliament of Canada biography
• Robert Winters fonds, Library and Archives Canada