Kenneth Bolton was an Anglican priest, archdeacon

Archdeacon

An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...

 and Ontario New Democratic Party

Ontario New Democratic Party

The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...

 member of the Ontario legislature from 1969 to 1971 representing the riding of Middlesex South.

Born in England, Bolton immigrated to Canada and settled in Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

 in 1925 where he studied for the ministry and was ordained an Anglican priest in 1933. He served as a minister throughout Canada and was later chaplain of Huron University College

Huron University College

Huron University College, referred to locally as Huron College is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario....

 and associate professor of pastoral theology at the University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

 as well as Archdeacon of Bishop Cronyn Memorial Anglican Church in London, Ontario

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

. In his old age, he assisted at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church in northeast London before moving to British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 in 1995 to be closer to his children.

Bolton was active with groups such as Oxfam

Oxfam

Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...

 and Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

.

He was elected to the legislature in a 1969 by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

. The victory was a surprise coming in an area where the NDP did not traditionally win seats. His victory was credited to campaigning on the issue of Medicare

Medicare (Canada)

Medicare is the unofficial name for Canada's publicly funded universal health insurance system. The formal terminology for the insurance system is provided by the Canada Health Act and the health insurance legislation of the individual provinces and territories.Under the terms of the Canada Health...

 at a time when the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party government of John Robarts

John Robarts

John Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...

 was reluctant to join the plan. His victory is credited with successfully pressuring the government to agree to bring the province into the plan.

As an MPP he was correctional services critic. He was defeated in the 1971 general election

Ontario general election, 1971

The Ontario general election of 1971 was held on October 21, 1971, to elect the 117 members of the 29th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

 by Robert G. Eaton

Robert G. Eaton

Robert Gordon Eaton was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Eaton was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.He was born in Woodstock, Ontario, and educated at...

after serving in office for two years.

His son, Kenneth, would run for the NDP in the 2008 federal election in the riding of Yukon. He finished fourth.

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