Edgar John Benson
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The Honourable Edgar John Benson PC, FCA, BComm |
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| Member of Parliament for Kingston (1962–1968); Kingston and the Islands (1968–1972) |
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In office 1962–1972 |
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| Preceded by | Benjamin Graydon Allmark |
| Succeeded by | Flora MacDonald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 28, 1923 Cobourg, Ontario |
| Died |
September 2, 2011 (aged 88) Ottawa, Ontario |
| Resting place | Beechwood Cemetery |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Marie Louise van Laer (1946–1974) Mary Jane Binks (1987–2011) |
| Alma mater | Queen's University (1949) |
| Profession | Chartered Accountant (1952) |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | 1st Survey Regiment, RCA I Canadian Corps |
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
Edgar John "Ben" Benson PC, FCA, BComm (May 28, 1923 – September 2, 2011) was a Canadian politician, businessman, diplomat, and university professor. He held four Cabinet posts, most notably that of Minister of Finance under Pierre Trudeau, where he was instrumental in reforming Canada's income tax law. He was described as "Pierre Trudeau's unflappable finance minister, the pipe-smoking financial wizard who raised the ire of corporate Canada in the 1970s by bringing in a capital gains tax."
After serving overseas in the Second World War as a sergeant in the Royal Canadian Artillery, Benson attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree. He became a chartered accountant and partner in the accounting firm of England, Leonard, Macpherson and Company, and co-owner of CKLC. Prior to his entry into politics, he was also a lecturer in Business Administration at Queen's, in the capacity of Assistant Professor of Commerce.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1962 general election as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston, Ontario. Initially appointed in 1962 as Parliamentary Secretary to then Minister of Finance Walter Gordon, he entered the Cabinet of Prime Minister Lester Pearson in 1964 as Minister of National Revenue, and served concurrently from 1966 to 1968 as the first President of the Treasury Board.
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