Robert Bonner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Cariboo | |
| In office 29 November 1966 – 22 July 1969 | |
| Preceded by | William C. Speare |
| Succeeded by | Alex Fraser |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Point Grey | |
| In office 9 June 1953 – 12 September 1966 Serving with Thomas Audley Bate (1953-1963) Arthur Laing (1953-1956) Buda Brown (1956-1962) Pat McGeer (1962-1966) Ralph Loffmark (1963-1966) | |
| Preceded by | George Clark Miller |
| Succeeded by | Garde Gardom |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Columbia | |
| In office 24 November 1952 – 9 June 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Orr Newton |
| Succeeded by | Richard Orr Newton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1920-09-10)September 10, 1920 |
| Died | August 12, 2005(2005-08-12) (aged 84) |
| Party | Social Credit |
| Spouse |
Barbara Newman (m. 1942) |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia (BA 1942, LLB 1948) |
| Profession | lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1953 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel[2] |
| Unit | Seaforth Highlanders of Canada |
| Commands | University of British Columbia COTC |
| Awards | Canadian Forces' Decoration[2] |
Lieutenant Colonel Robert William Bonner QC CD (10 September 1920 – 12 August 2005) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and corporate executive. He pursued his career working in the British Columbia government and in B.C.-based companies, including as member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the 1950s and 1960s as a Social Credit member, and as cabinet minister under Premier W. A. C. Bennett.
Background
Born and raised in East Vancouver, he was the only child of Emma and Benjamin Bonner, who came to Vancouver from Ireland and New Brunswick respectively.[1][3] After graduating from Britannia Secondary School, he enrolled in the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1938, majoring in economics and political science.[3] He also served as vice-president of the UBC Canadian Students Assembly, and later became president of the Literary Science Executive.[3]
With the onset of the Second World War, Bonner enrolled in the Canadian Officers' Training Corps (COTC) in 1940.[3] He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1942,[2][4] then took part in the Allied invasion of Italy as part of the Seaforth Highlanders.[3] After receiving serious injuries, he convalesced in North Africa and England, then returned to Canada and became chief training instructor with the UBC COTC.[3] He also attended the UBC Faculty of Law; he graduated in 1948 and was called to the British Columbia bar that July,[2][5] then joined a practice in Vancouver.
He and his wife Barbara had three children.[1][2]
Political career
Active in politics from an early age, Bonner became a supporter and confidant of Conservative MLA W. A. C. Bennett, and nominated the latter for the Conservative leadership in 1950.[6]: 24 Bennett went on to lead the Social Credit Party (Socred) following its victory in the 1952 provincial election, and found himself with a caucus consisting mostly of inexperienced MLAs, none of whom were lawyers;[6]: 24 he thus approached the unelected Bonner to serve as Attorney General.[7]: 10 Bonner was sworn in on August 1, 1952 along with the rest of the Bennett ministry,[8] and at 31 years old became the youngest Attorney General in B.C.'s history.[1][9] To provide him with a seat in the legislature, Columbia MLA Richard Orr Newton resigned to trigger a by-election, which was won by Bonner in November 1952.[10]
For the 1953 provincial election, Bonner ran in Vancouver-Point Grey and was elected as one of three MLAs representing the riding.[10] With the Socreds winning its first majority government, Bonner stayed on as Attorney General and would retain the position for the next 15 years,[8] quickly becoming one of the most powerful ministers and closest advisors to Bennett in the Socreds' long spell of governance.[6]: 24
His tenure as Attorney General was marked by legal clashes with First Nations tribes over land and resource rights, especially in light of the rapid hydroelectric, mining, and forestry development of the province's hinterland. Perhaps more significantly, from a historical perspective, was the provincial government's conflicts with the Freedomites (Sons of Freedom), an anti-government religious group resident in the Kootenay region of the province. Clashes over public education led to the apprehension en masse of Freedomite children, and their confinement in a government boarding school.
During his time in cabinet, Bonner also served at various times concurrently as Minister of Education (1953-1954); Minister of Industrial Development, Trade and Commerce (1957-1964); and Minister of Commercial Transport (1964-1968).[8] He proved capable in the legislature, serving as Bennett's House Leader. Contemporaries described him as "articulate, urbane, and always well prepared, with a demonstrated air of superiority and a ready laugh."[11]
Vancouver-Point Grey became a dual-member riding for the 1966 provincial election; Bonner lost his seat by finishing in third place behind Liberal candidates Pat McGeer and Garde Gardom.[10] He returned to the legislature by winning a November 1966 by-election in Cariboo triggered by the resignation of William C. Speare.[10]
After politics
Bonner resigned from his cabinet positions in 1968 to become vice-president of MacMillan Bloedel,[8] a Vancouver-based logging and lumber company, and went on to become the firm's president and chief executive officer;[1][2] he stayed on as MLA until the end of his term in 1969.[5] After leaving the position of MacMillan Bloedel chairman in 1974, he was appointed in 1976 by Premier Bill Bennett (son of W. A. C. Bennett) as chair of BC Hydro, the provincial crown corporation responsible for producing and supplying hydroelectric power.[2][5] He resigned from that position in 1985 amidst lawsuits pertaining to his personal affairs,[5] then became partner at the firm Robertson, Ward, Suderman and Bowes.[2]
He died in Vancouver in 2005 at age 84.[1]
Cabinet positions
References
- Encyclopedia of British Columbia. Vancouver:Harbour Publishing, 2001.
- ^ a b c d e f "Robert William Bonner Obituary". The Vancouver Sun. August 18, 2005. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Arthur, Fouks. "On the Front Cover: Robert W. Bonner, Q.C." (PDF). The Advocate, Vol. 45. University of British Columbia. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Specht, Allen (July 19, 1973). "Interview with Robert Bonner, Armed Forces at UBC Project, Part I (transcript)" (PDF). University of British Columbia. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "Wounded" (PDF). The Graduate Chronicle, March 1944. University of British Columbia. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Bonner resigns under pressure" (PDF). The Western Star. Corner Brook. The Canadian Press. January 16, 1985. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c O'Keefe, Betty; Macdonald, Ian (1999). The Sommers scandal: the felling of trees and tree lords. Heritage House Publishing Co. ISBN 1-895811-96-1. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ Elkins, David J. "Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows: The B.C. Party System in the 1952 and 1953 Provincial Elections". BC Studies, No. 30, Summer 1976. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Bennett, Judith Antonik; Verspoor, Frederike (1989). "British Columbia Executive Council Appointments: 1871-1986" (PDF). British Columbia Legislative Library. pp. 57, 59, 61. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ "W. A. C. Bennett Accepts Call to Form Social Credit Cabinet for B.C." (PDF). The Summerland Review. August 7, 1952. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871–1986" (PDF). Elections BC. pp. 241, 253, 299, 300. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Mitchell, David. "The Good Old Days? W. A. C. Bennett and the Legislative Assembly". Canadian Parliamentary Review, vol. 6, 1983. Archived from the original on November 23, 2004.
