John Joseph Connolly

Canadian politician
Hon. John Connolly

John Joseph Connolly PC OBE QC (October 31, 1906 – July 25, 1982) was a Canadian parliamentarian.

John Joseph Connolly was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and he graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1927. He received a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and also taught at the university for some time. He studied law at Université de Montréal and was called to the Quebec bar and the Ontario bar. He was a Queen's Counsel.

During World War II, he was the executive assistant to Angus Lewis Macdonald, Minister of National Defence for Naval Services. In 1944, he played a pivotal role in the dismissal of Vice-Admiral Percy W. Nelles, the highest-ranking officer in the Royal Canadian Navy. [1] He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his work during the war.

A law professor, Connolly was appointed to the Senate of Canada as a Liberal by Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent on June 12, 1953. From 1961 to 1964,he served as the federal party's president. In 1964, he was appointed to the Cabinet by Lester Pearson becoming Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate and Minister without portfolio. He served as government leader until 1968 when Pearson retired and remained a Ssnator until his own retirement in 1981.

References

  1. ^ Mayne, Richard Oliver (1999). Behind the scenes at Naval Service headquarters: Bureaucratic politics and the dismissal of Vice-Admiral Percy W. Nelles (John Joseph Connolly) (M.A. thesis) Wilfrid Laurier University

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
Bruce Matthews
 President of the Liberal Party of Canada
1961–1964 		Succeeded by
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Leader of the Government in the Senate of Canada
1964–1968 		Succeeded by
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1The department was eliminated in 1993 when the government was reorganized. The position of Secretary of State for Canada was not legally eliminated until 1996 when its remaining responsibilities were assigned to other cabinet positions and departments, particularly the newly created position of Minister of Canadian Heritage.