Eric Gordon Cunningham (April 14, 1949 – January 1, 2015) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1984.
Eric Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1975–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Don Ewen |
| Succeeded by | Ann Sloat |
| Constituency | Wentworth North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eric Gordon Cunningham April 14, 1949 Hamilton, Ontario |
| Died | January 1, 2015 (aged 65) Huntsville, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario McMaster University |
| Occupation | Advertising executive |
Background edit
Cunningham was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and educated at the University of Western Ontario and McMaster University. He worked as an advertising executive, was a founder of the Ontario New Liberal Association, and received a provincial recognition award in 1968.
Politics edit
He campaigned for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1974 federal election as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada, and lost to Progressive Conservative Bill Kempling by 668 votes in Halton—Wentworth.[1] He was elected to the Ontario legislature in a provincial election the following year, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent Don Ewen by 1,977 votes in Wentworth North.[2] He was re-elected by an increased majority in the 1977 election,[3] and defeated Progressive Conservative challenger Ann Sloat in 1981.[4] He supported Jim Breithaupt for the Liberal Party leadership in 1982, and resigned from the legislature in 1984 to run federally a second time.
Cunningham was defeated in the 1984 federal election, losing to Progressive Conservative candidate Geoff Scott by over 10,000 votes amid Brian Mulroney's landslide victory across the country.[5]
Later life edit
Cunningham joined United Water Canada in 1999, as vice-president of business development responsible for Canada.[6] In 2002, he told an interviewer that his company was investigating possibilities with several Canadian municipalities for private sector expansion in water treatment.[citation needed]
Cunningham also remained active in the Liberal Party. In 2004, he supported Tony Valeri over Sheila Copps for the federal party's contested nomination in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek.
References edit
- ^ "How the party candidates fared across the country". The Toronto Star. July 9, 1974. p. A12.
- ^ "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
- ^ "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
- ^ Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ "How Canada voted". The Globe and Mail. September 5, 1984. pp. 14–15.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "North American French Industrial Club" (PDF). June 6–8, 2001. p. 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2004.
- ^ "Eric Cunningham, former MPP, dead at 65". Hamilton Spectator. January 1, 2015. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ Gallant, Jacques (January 2, 2015). "Former Hamilton MPP Eric Cunningham dies in his sleep at 65". Hamilton Spectator.