James "Buddy" MacEachern was a Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 fisherman and politician. In the 1974 provincial election

Nova Scotia general election, 1974

The 28th Nova Scotia general election was held on 2 April 1974 to elect members of the 51st House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Liberal party....

 he was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly as the NDP member for Cape Breton Centre

Cape Breton Centre

Cape Breton Centre is a provincial electoral district in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly....

. When party leader Jeremy Akerman

Jeremy Akerman

Jeremy Bernard Akerman is a former Canadian politician, writer and actor and a former leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.-Biography:...

 resigned, MacEachern became the party's interim leader by the caucus and served for a month until a leadership convention elected Alexa McDonough

Alexa McDonough

Alexa Ann Shaw McDonough OC is a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Canada, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's leader in 1980...

 as leader. In the 1981 election

Nova Scotia general election, 1981

The 30th Nova Scotia general election was held on October 6, 1981 to elect members of the 53rd House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative party.* vote share included in "other"....

, MacEachern was defeated by the riding's former MLA, Mike Laffin.