George Spotton was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Member of Parliament between 1927 and 1935.

Spotton received a Bachelor's of History from Queen's University

Queen's University

Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...

, graduating in 1895.

During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 he briefly served in the Canadian Army (now the Canadian Forces

Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

) as a broadcast journalist.

He was born to Margaret Hickson and James Spotton in the township of Howick, Ontario

Howick, Ontario

The Township of Howick is a municipality in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the northeast corner of Huron County near the Bruce County border, east of Wingham....

. He died of lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

 at the age of 59.

Political career

Spotton was elected as a member of parliament for the Huron North

Huron North

Huron North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1882, and from 1917 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 region, where he ran as a Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada (historical)

The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...

. He advocated less autonomy for provinces and the implementation of a Canadian cultural program. This program was scrapped at the time, but revived almost a century later by the Liberals

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

. George Spotton is rarely recognized as a pioneer of Canadian cultural issues, mainly because of his unpopular stance on relations with the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in which he pushed for stronger ties with their Southern neighbour. In his political views he was also a staunch monarchist, well known for his belief that the only true Canadian men were those with British backgrounds. He also argued fervently against the contemporaneous influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe on the basis that they showed little interest in Canada and Canadian politics.

Election campaign

In his 1927 election campaign George Spotton held the motto "We Will Win" and though he won, garnering 1,915 votes, it was hardly an endorsement of leadership of any level. He polled about 1,891 votes only half of the eligible voters in Horwick county. George Spotton was then accused of corrupt election practise when several voters said they were shaken down by police for money, this was later discovered to be an attempt to mudsling at George Spotton. He was not the only member facing trouble. His brother in-law was charged with criminal corruption, but cleared for the same reasons.

This election campaign turned into a political drama of sorts reminiscent of the novel All the King's Men

All the King's Men

All the King's Men is a novel by Robert Penn Warren first published in 1946. Its title is drawn from the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. In 1947 Warren won the Pulitzer Prize for All the King's Men....

. With leaders on either side facing off in a bitter election campaign attacking the integrity of everyone involved.

Business career

In addition to a political career, George Spotton was also involved in business and business training. Founder of the Spotton Business College, he provided business training for local townspeople. First established in Wingham, Ontario

Wingham, Ontario

Wingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario, Canada, which is located in Huron County...

, it grew to twelve franchises in six cities. These colleges operated for thirty-five years. George Spotton also provided free tuition for the children of soldiers serving overseas during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.