Jack Hardy (politician)

Jackson Alexander "Jack" Hardy (November 1, 1924 – August 22, 2006)[1] was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was the mayor of St. Vital,[2] and served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1969 to 1971 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.[1]

Early life and career

The son of Dufferin A. Hardy and Martha Gracer, Hardy was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario.[2] He was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, and subsequently became an accountant at the Fort William Grain Elevator. Transferred to Winnipeg in 1950, he settled in the suburban community of St. Vital.[3]

Hardy married Catherine Mary Murray[2] in 1945.[4]

Politician

Hardy was a municipal councillor in St. Vital for four years, and spent a further five years as the community's mayor. He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1969 provincial election, defeating New Democratic Party candidate Jim Walding by only 23 votes in the St. Vital electoral division.[1] He continued to serve as mayor of St. Vital, and was re-elected to his municipal position in late 1969.[5] He opposed the amalgamation of St. Vital into the new "unicity" of Winnipeg.[6]

Hardy's time in the legislature was brief. He was absent from the province for much of 1970, and was hired as the assistant city manager for Terrance, British Columbia late in the year. Some described his behaviour during this time as erratic. He was quoted as saying, "I have to earn a living, and in Manitoba -- it is totally impossible for a politician to do it solely in politics." He left Manitoba in December 1970, and formally resigned his seat in the legislature on February 16, 1971.[7] In the 1973 provincial election, he endorsed Liberal candidate Dan Kennedy.[8]

Hardy retired to Vernon, British Columbia, and died at home there in 2006 after a short illness.[6]

Electoral record
Provincial
1969 Manitoba general election: St. Vital
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeJack Hardy2,58736.01
New DemocraticJim Walding2,56435.69
LiberalJoe Stangl2,03428.31
Total valid votes 7,185 100.00
Rejected votes 39
Turnout 7,224 68.04
Electors on the lists 10,617
Progressive Conservative hold Swing
Municipal
1969 St. Vital municipal election, Mayor
Candidate Total votes  % of total votes
(x)Jack Hardy 4,791 72.76
Albert Coggan 1,794 27.24
Total valid votes 6,585 100.00
1967 St. Vital municipal election, Mayor
Candidate Total votes  % of total votes
(x)Jack Hardy accl.
1965 St. Vital municipal election, Mayor
Candidate Total votes  % of total votes
Jack Hardy 4,732 59.62
A. Alvin Winslow 1,619 20.40
(x)Harry Collins 1,297 16.34
J. Harry Graham 289 3.64
Total valid votes 7,937 100.00
1963 St. Vital municipal election, Council (four elected)
Candidate Total votes  % of total votes
(x)Florence Pierce 1,850 27.77
(x)Jack Hardy 1,835 27.54
(x)Alvin Winslow 1,557 23.37
Harold Button 622 9.34
Harry Brown 453 6.80
Dudley Smallwood 345 5.18
Total valid votes 6,662 100.00

This election was determined by a single transferable ballot. The quota for election on the first ballot was 1,333 votes; Pierce, Hardy, and Winslow were declared elected to two-year terms. At the end of the fourth transfer, Button had 1,385 votes, Brown 1,197 and Smallwood 669. Button was declared elected to a one-year term, replacing the retiring Fred Brennan.

References
  1. "MLA Biographies - Deceased". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30.
  2. "Hardy, Jackson Alexander". Chronicle-Journal. Thunder Bay. September 8, 2006. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  3. "Jackson A. Hardy" (tribute) Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, Second Session - Thirty-Ninth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba: DEBATES and: PROCEEDINGS, 16 September 2008, accessed 14 September 2009.
  4. "Jackson Alexander Hardy (1924-2006)". Memorable Manitobans. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  5. Ian Stewart, Just One Vote: Jim Walding's nomination to constitutional defeat (Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2009), pp. 27-29.
  6. "Jackson A. Hardy" (tribute).
  7. Stewart, p. 29.
  8. Stewart, p. 35.
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