Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
Colin W. G. Gibson | |
Office: | Minister of Mines and Resources |
Primeminister: | Louis St. Laurent |
Term Start: | 1 April 1949 |
Term End: | 17 January 1950 |
Predecessor: | James Angus MacKinnon |
Successor: | Office Abolished |
Office1: | Secretary of State for Canada |
Primeminister1: | W. L. Mackenzie King Louis St. Laurent |
Term Start1: | 12 December 1946 |
Term End1: | 31 March 1949 |
Predecessor1: | Paul Martin Sr. |
Successor1: | Frederick Gordon Bradley |
Office2: | Minister of National Defence for Air |
Primeminister2: | W. L. Mackenzie King |
Term Start2: | 8 March 1945 |
Term End2: | 11 December 1946 |
Predecessor2: | Angus Lewis Macdonald |
Successor2: | Office Abolished |
Office3: | Minister of National Revenue |
Primeminister3: | W. L. Mackenzie King |
Term Start3: | 8 July 1940 |
Term End3: | 7 March 1945 |
Predecessor3: | James Lorimer Ilsley |
Successor3: | James Angus MacKinnon (acting) |
Riding4: | Hamilton West |
Parliament4: | Canadian |
Term Start4: | 26 March 1940 |
Term End4: | 17 January 1950 |
Predecessor4: | John Allmond Marsh |
Successor4: | Ellen Fairclough |
Birth Name: | Colin William George Gibson |
Birth Date: | 16 February 1891 |
Birth Place: | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
Children: | 4, including Colin |
Relatives: | John Morison Gibson (father) |
Allegiance: | Canada |
Branch: | Royal Fusiliers 1914-1919 Royal Hamilton Light Infantry 1929-1934 |
Rank: | Lieutenant-Colonel 1929-1934 Commandant 1935-1938 |
Serviceyears: | 1911–1919 |
Colin William George Gibson (16 February 1891 - 3 July 1974) was a Canadian politician, land surveyor and lawyer.
He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1911 (cadet # 805), where Kenneth Stuart, a future Commander of the Canadian Army, was a fellow cadet. He served with the Royal Fusiliers of the British Army in 1914 and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1915 where he was a Member of Alpha Delta Phi.[1] He was lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry from 1929 to 1934. He practiced law from 1919. He was a founding member of the Royal Military College of Canada ex-cadet club in Hamilton, Ontario in 1930. He became Commandant of Hamilton Garrison from 1935 to 1939.
As Member of Parliament for Hamilton West, he was reelected three times from 1940.03.26 to 1950. He was first elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Hamilton West in 1940, with 55.9% of the vote in a two candidate race. Following his election, he was appointed as Minister of National Revenue (1940.07.08 - 1945.03.07). Near the end of his first term, he was also appointed as the acting and later permanent Minister of National Defence for Air (1945.03.08 - 1946.12.11).He served as Secretary of State (1948.11.15 - 1949.03.31) and (1946.12.12 - 1948.11.14). He was Minister for Mines and Resources (1949.04.01 - 1950.01.17).
Following his re-election with 40.2% of the vote (in a three-way, four-party race), he continued as Minister of National Defence for Air (1945.01.11 - 1945.03.07). He was made the Secretary of State for Canada (1948.11.15 - 1949.03.31) and (1946.12.12 - 1948.11.14). Just before the end of his second term, he was moved to the post of Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources (Canada) (1949.04.01 - 1950.01.17).
He continued in this post after he was re-elected in 1949 (with 43.5% of the vote). He resigned from both cabinet and parliament upon his appointment as Puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Ontario.He died in 1974.
Gibson was the son of Major General Sir John Morison Gibson, former Attorney General of Ontario. His son, Colin D. Gibson, held the riding of Hamilton—Wentworth from 1968 to 1972.
The Gibson Medal at the Royal Military College of Canada is awarded to the top graduating student in the Arts Division.