Michael Forrestall

John Michael William Curphey Forrestall (September 23, 1932 June 8, 2006), known as Michael Forrestall, was a Canadian politician. Forrestall served in both the Senate of Canada and House of Commons of Canada.

Michael Forrestall
Member of Parliament
for Halifax
In office
1965–1968
Preceded byGerald Regan
Succeeded byRiding dissolved
Member of Parliament
for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
In office
1968–1988
Preceded byRiding created
Succeeded byRon MacDonald
Personal details
Born
John Michael William Curphey Forrestall

(1932-09-23)September 23, 1932
Deep Brook, Nova Scotia
DiedJune 8, 2006(2006-06-08) (aged 73)
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Political partyProgressive Conservative
ProfessionJournalist, businessman

Political career

A Nova Scotia journalist and businessman, Forrestall was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1965 federal election as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was elected the MP for Dartmouth—Halifax East in the 1968 election, and remained in the House for a total of twenty-three years.

During the Brian Mulroney government, Forrestall served as a parliamentary secretary to a succession of ministers until he was defeated in what was by then the riding of Dartmouth in the 1988 federal election. In November 1990, Prime Minister Mulroney appointed Forrestall to the Senate of Canada, where he sat as a Progressive Conservative until February 2004, when he and most of the Tory caucus joined the new Conservative Party of Canada. Forrestall was active on a number of causes, including benefits for Canadian Merchant Navy veterans and the protection of lighthouses.

In 2000, he introduced a Private Members Bill in the Senate Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, a bill which was also supported by Senator Pat Carney who championed it after Forrestall's death and which is close to passing in the House of Commons in 2007.[1] Forrestall's brother is the Canadian realist painter, Tom Forrestall; their sister Katherine was the mother of singer-songwriter Matthew Grimson.[2]

Death

Forrestall died on June 8, 2006, at age 73;[3] he had been admitted to a Halifax-area hospital with serious breathing problems five days earlier.[4]

Electoral history

1988 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalRon MacDonald21,95846.19+20.09
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall19,86341.78-13.17
New DemocraticMarty Zelenietz5,16210.86-8.09
LibertarianStanley Hodder4470.94
IndependentCharles Spurr1090.23
Total valid votes 47,539 100.00
1984 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall27,54954.95+13.10
LiberalRae Austin13,08426.10-11.63
New DemocraticKen Hale9,50318.95-1.46
Total valid votes 50,136100.00
1980 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall17,96841.85-6.87
LiberalRae Austin16,20037.73+2.62
New DemocraticNelson Reed8,76420.41+4.24
Total valid votes 42,932100.00
1979 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall21,44148.72-2.74
LiberalJohn Savage15,45335.11-5.53
New DemocraticFrederick Turley7,11616.17+9.00
Total valid votes 44,010 100.00
1974 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall22,09051.46-6.02
LiberalArnold Patterson17,44440.64+8.93
New DemocraticAlfred Nieforth3,0767.17-3.03
Social CreditAnthony Morbee1810.42-0.19
Marxist–LeninistMike Malloch1350.31
Total valid votes 42,926100.00
1972 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall24,55357.48+2.31
LiberalJohn Savage13,54331.71-8.71
New DemocraticNorman Dares4,35810.20+5.80
Social CreditBrian Pitcairn2610.61
Total valid votes 42,715 100.00
1968 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour
Party Candidate Votes%
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall19,69455.17
LiberalArnie Patterson14, 42940.42
New DemocraticEdward Newell1,5724.40
Total valid votes 35,695100.00
1965 Canadian federal election: Halifax
Party Candidate Votes%Elected
Progressive ConservativeRobert McCleave46,00725.08Green tickY
Progressive ConservativeMichael Forrestall40,98322.34Green tickY
LiberalJohn Lloyd39,94221.77 
LiberalRobert J. Butler38,19120.82 
New DemocraticJim Aitchison8,9834.90 
New DemocraticBruce Wallace8,3874.57 
IndependentIgnatius Jeriome Kennedy9500.52 
Total valid votes 183,443 100.00

References

  1. "Lighthouse Bill Protecting Our Lighthouses - The Icons of Canada's Maritime Heritage", Canadian Heritage Foundation Featured Heritage Buildings by Douglas Franklin here Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Matthew George Grimson: Mar 9, 1968 – Jun 19, 2018". Legacy.com.
  3. Michael Forrestall – Parliament of Canada biography
  4. "Senator in hospital". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2006-06-09.
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