John Lynch-Staunton

The Honourable John Lynch-Staunton
Senator for Grandville, Quebec
In office 1990–2005
Preceded by	Léopold Langlois
Succeeded by	Andrée Champagne
Interim Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
In office December 8, 2003 – March 24, 2004
Preceded by	New Position
Succeeded by	Stephen Harper
Personal details
Born	June 19, 1930 (1930-06-19) Montreal, Quebec
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Conservative Party of Canada
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Residence	Montreal, Quebec
Alma mater	Collège Stanislas, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Georgetown University

John George Lynch-Staunton (born June 19, 1930) is a former Canadian senator and was the first leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He represented the Senate division of Grandville, Quebec.

Personal background

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Lynch-Staunton was educated at Collège Stanislas and Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montreal. He obtained a B.Sc in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1953, and did graduate work towards a Master's Degree in Canadian History at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario 1953-1955.

Lynch-Staunton married Juliana de Kuyper in 1958. They have five children {Mark, Peter, Gabrielle, Sophie, Sean} and eight grandchildren {Caitlin, Connor, Harrison, Juliana, Matthew, Jaryd, Monique, Aiden}.

City Councillor

Lynch-Staunton was elected to the City Council of Montreal in 1960. He represented the district of Côte-des-Neiges and was a member of Mayor Jean Drapeau's Parti civique de Montréal. He was re-elected in 1962, 1966 and 1970. Mayor Drapeau appointed him to the Executive Committee as Vice Chairman. In 1974 though, he lost his bid for re-election to Nick Auf der Maur as the Rassemblement des citoyens et citoyennes de Montréal (RCM) achieved its first political breakthrough.

Provincial politics

Lynch-Staunton ran as a Union Nationale candidate for a provincial by-election in the district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in 1968. He was defeated by Liberal candidate William Tetley.

Senator

Lynch-Staunton was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on September 23, 1990. The following year, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, and became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in December 1993 following the Liberal victory in that year's general election.

On December 8, 2003, with the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ratified by both parties, Lynch-Staunton served as interim leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada until the election of Stephen Harper in March 2004.

He remained Leader of the Opposition in the Senate until September 30, 2004, and retired from parliament when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on June 19, 2005.

Retirement

Lynch-Staunton ran and won a seat on Council in the County of Stanstead in the November 1, 2009 Quebec municipal elections.

External links

• John Lynch-Staunton - Parliament of Canada biography

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Léopold Langlois	Senator for Grandville 1990-2005	Succeeded by Andrée Champagne
Government offices
Preceded by Royce Herbert Frith	Leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada 1993-2004	Succeeded by Noël A. Kinsella
Party political offices
Preceded by Peter MacKay as Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party	Conservative Party Leader 2003-2004	Succeeded by Stephen Harper
Preceded by Stephen Harper as Leader of the Canadian Alliance