Leonard Braithwaite
| Leonard Braithwaite | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
|
In office 1963–1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Ed Philip |
| Constituency | Etobicoke |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 23, 1923 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died | March 28, 2012 (aged 88) Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Braithwaite |
| Children | Roger & David |
| Residence | Etobicoke |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943-46 |
| Rank | DAC |
| Unit | 6th Bomber Group |
Leonard Austin Braithwaite, CM OOnt QC (October 23, 1923 – March 28, 2012) was a lawyer and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Liberal Party from 1963 to 1975. He was the first Black Canadian to be elected to the Ontario Legislature.
Braithwaite was born in Toronto, Ontario to West Indian parents, and served overseas with the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto in 1950. He then received a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School in 1952, and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1958. He practiced as a barrister and solicitor, and was named a Queen's Counsel in 1971.
His political career began in 1960, when he was elected to Ward Four of the Etobicoke township board of education. Braithwaite was president of Etobicoke ratepayer's association at the time, and was elected because of demand for a high school north of Eglinton. Two years later, he was elected as an alderman on the Etobicoke council.
Braithwaite ran for the Liberals in the 1963 provincial election, and defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Geoffrey Grossmith to win the newly created constituency of Etobicoke by 443 votes. The original declared result showed Grossmith winning by over 500 votes, and Braithwaite was only declared elected after a serious error in the vote totals was discovered by his campaign team. The Returning Officer claimed it was an accident, due to pre-count tests of the mechanical adding machines that were not cleared before the official count began.
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