Hugh Plaxton
Encyclopedia
Hugh John Plaxton was a Canadian
ice hockey
player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics
and later served in the Canadian House of Commons
.
In 1928 he was a member of the University of Toronto Grads
, the Canadian team which won the gold medal. He also played NHL
hockey for the Montreal Maroons
in the 1932-33 season.
After retiring from hockey, Plaxton qualified as a lawyer and entered politics. He was elected to parliament in the 1935 federal election
as a Liberal
MP from the Toronto riding
of Trinity
defeating Minister of Justice
and former Toronto mayor George Reginald Geary
. He lost the Liberal Party nomination in 1940 federal election
to former Ontario Attorney-General Arthur Roebuck
but attempted to return to Parliament in the 1945 federal election
running in the riding of Kingston City
where he was defeated by Conservative Thomas Kidd
.
Plaxton was one of two former hockey players to have been elected a Member of Parliament for Trinity, the other being Lionel Conacher
who was elected as a Liberal MP for the riding in 1949 and 1953.
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...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
and later served in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
In 1928 he was a member of the University of Toronto Grads
Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team
The Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team operated by the Varsity Blues athletics program of the University of Toronto. The Varsity Blues senior team won the Allan Cup in 1921 and 1927, and won the gold medal for Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics.The Blues play in the Ontario...
, the Canadian team which won the gold medal. He also played NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
hockey for the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
in the 1932-33 season.
After retiring from hockey, Plaxton qualified as a lawyer and entered politics. He was elected to parliament in the 1935 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1935
The Canadian federal election of 1935 was held on October 14, 1935 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 18th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of William Lyon Mackenzie King won a majority government, defeating Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's Conservative Party.The central...
as a Liberal
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...
MP from the Toronto riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Trinity
Trinity (electoral district)
Trinity was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons 1935 to 1988. It covered a portion of the western Toronto. Its name comes from the Trinity-Bellwoods area that was once home to Trinity College....
defeating Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (Canada)
The Minister of Justice is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada .This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone with formal legal training...
and former Toronto mayor George Reginald Geary
George Reginald Geary
George Reginald Geary, PC, OBE, MC, KC was Mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1910 to 1912.During his term in office he announced plans for a new Harbor board. Geary said, "We have a magnificent harbor but we have failed miserably to avail ourselves of nature's generosity...
. He lost the Liberal Party nomination in 1940 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
to former Ontario Attorney-General Arthur Roebuck
Arthur Roebuck
Arthur Wentworth Roebuck, QC, was a Canadian politician and labour lawyer.Roebuck ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the 1917 federal election as a Laurier Liberal, but was defeated. He was involved with the United Farmers of Ontario and its successor, the Progressive Party, in the...
but attempted to return to Parliament in the 1945 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1945
The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada...
running in the riding of Kingston City
Kingston City
Kingston City was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario...
where he was defeated by Conservative Thomas Kidd
Thomas Kidd (politician)
Thomas Ashmore Kidd was speaker of the Legislature of Ontario in 1930-1934 and served as Conservative MLA for Kingston from 1926 to 1940 and Progressive Conservative MP for Kingston City from 1945 to 1949....
.
Plaxton was one of two former hockey players to have been elected a Member of Parliament for Trinity, the other being Lionel Conacher
Lionel Conacher
Lionel Pretoria Conacher, MP , nicknamed "The Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. His first passion was football; he was a member of the 1921 Grey Cup champion Toronto...
who was elected as a Liberal MP for the riding in 1949 and 1953.