Terry Nugent
Encyclopedia
Terence James "Terry" Nugent (December 9, 1920 – April 13, 2006) was a barrister, lawyer, World War II
era soldier a Canadian federal politician from 1958 to 1968 and an alderman in the city of Edmonton
, Alberta
from 1968 - 1971.
Born in Taber, Alberta, Nugent enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
in 1942. He served in World War II
and left the army in 1946.
Nugent first ran as a Progressive Conservative
for a Canadian House of Commons
seat in the Edmonton—Strathcona
district for the 1957 federal election
. He was defeated by Social Credit
candidate Sydney Thompson
and finish third out of fourth place behind defeated incumbent Member of Parliament Richmond Hanna
. Nugent ran for office again a year later in the 1958 federal election
winning with a landslide defeating both Hanna and Thompson in a rematch to win his first term in office. The same election saw Nugent's party, which had been in power for a year with a minority government
led by John Diefenbaker
, returned with the largest majority government
in Canadian history.
Nugent was re-elected in the 1962 federal election
with significantly narrower margin then his victory in 1958 - his plurality dropping by almost 10,000 votes in the election that reduced the Diefenbaker Tories to a minority government.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis
Nugent stood in parliament and asked MPs to refuse to support the American government should it threaten to invade Cuba
saying "One of the fundamental facts we must recognize is that Cuba is an independent, sovereign nation ... we may not like its form of government but I suggest that whether it is a small country or a large country, or whether it is a country that is friendly to us or not, it is a sovereign state and those of us who believe in the rights of sovereign states as subscribed to in the United Nations charter, must concede that big or small, friendly or unfriendly, whether we like it or not, that country has the same rights as we have." Nugent received some 300 telegrams of support from Canadians following his speech.
Parliament was dissolved after the minority government fell leading to the 1963 federal election
. Nugent faced former MP John Decore
defeating him by just 2000 votes to win his third and final term in office. The 1968 federal election
saw Nugent defeated by Liberal candidate Hu Harries
. After his defeat Nugent sought a career in Edmonton municipal politics.
Nugent ran for a seat on Edmonton city council in the 1968 Edmonton municipal election
, he won and served a term in office until 1971. He ran again in Ward 3 in the 1974 Edmonton municipal election
but was defeated.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era soldier a Canadian federal politician from 1958 to 1968 and an alderman in the city of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
from 1968 - 1971.
Born in Taber, Alberta, Nugent enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
in 1942. He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and left the army in 1946.
Nugent first ran as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
for a Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
seat in the Edmonton—Strathcona
Edmonton—Strathcona
Edmonton—Strathcona is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953. It spans the south central part of the city of Edmonton.-Geography:...
district for the 1957 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
. He was defeated by Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
candidate Sydney Thompson
Sydney Herbert Thompson
Sydney Herbert Stewart Thompson was a merchant and served as a Social Credit Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 1957 to 1958....
and finish third out of fourth place behind defeated incumbent Member of Parliament Richmond Hanna
Richmond Francis Hanna
Richmond Francis Lionel Hanna was an insurance salesman, a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Airforce, a member of Edmonton Municipal Council and served as a Canadian federal politician from 1953 to 1957....
. Nugent ran for office again a year later in the 1958 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1958
The Canadian federal election of 1958 was the 24th general election in Canada's history. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 24th Parliament of Canada on March 31, 1958, just nine months after the 23rd election...
winning with a landslide defeating both Hanna and Thompson in a rematch to win his first term in office. The same election saw Nugent's party, which had been in power for a year with a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
led by John Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963...
, returned with the largest majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in Canadian history.
Nugent was re-elected in the 1962 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
with significantly narrower margin then his victory in 1958 - his plurality dropping by almost 10,000 votes in the election that reduced the Diefenbaker Tories to a minority government.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
Nugent stood in parliament and asked MPs to refuse to support the American government should it threaten to invade Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
saying "One of the fundamental facts we must recognize is that Cuba is an independent, sovereign nation ... we may not like its form of government but I suggest that whether it is a small country or a large country, or whether it is a country that is friendly to us or not, it is a sovereign state and those of us who believe in the rights of sovereign states as subscribed to in the United Nations charter, must concede that big or small, friendly or unfriendly, whether we like it or not, that country has the same rights as we have." Nugent received some 300 telegrams of support from Canadians following his speech.
Parliament was dissolved after the minority government fell leading to the 1963 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
. Nugent faced former MP John Decore
John Decore
John Decore was a barrister, lawyer, teacher and a Canadian federal politician....
defeating him by just 2000 votes to win his third and final term in office. The 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
saw Nugent defeated by Liberal candidate Hu Harries
Hu Harries
Hu Harries was a Canadian economist and politician.Born in Strathmore, Alberta, he received a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from the University of Alberta in 1945. He also received a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Toronto and a Doctorate in economics from Iowa...
. After his defeat Nugent sought a career in Edmonton municipal politics.
Nugent ran for a seat on Edmonton city council in the 1968 Edmonton municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1968
The 1968 municipal election was held October 16, 1968 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and seven trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards. The electorate also decided three plebiscite questions....
, he won and served a term in office until 1971. He ran again in Ward 3 in the 1974 Edmonton municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1974
The 1974 municipal election was held October 16, 1974 to elect a mayor and twelve aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and seven trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards.-Voter turnout:...
but was defeated.