John Lynch-Staunton

The Honourable John Lynch-Staunton
Leader of the Conservative Party
Interim
In office December 7, 2003 – March 20, 2004
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Stephen Harper
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office December 7, 1993 – September 30, 2004
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien Paul Martin
Preceded by	Royce Frith
Succeeded by	Noël Kinsella
Canadian Senator from Grandville
In office September 23, 1990 – June 19, 2005
Nominated by	Brian Mulroney
Appointed by	Ray Hnatyshyn
Preceded by	Léopold Langlois (1988)
Succeeded by	Andrée Champagne
Montreal City Councillor for Côte-des-Neiges
In office October 24, 1960 – November 10, 1974
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Nick Auf der Maur
Personal details
Born	John George Lynch-Staunton (1930-06-19)June 19, 1930 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	August 17, 2012(2012-08-17) (aged 82) Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative
Spouse	Juliana de Kuyper ​ (m. 1958)​
Children	5
Residence(s)	Montreal, Quebec
Alma mater	Georgetown University (BSc) Queen's University (MA)

John George Lynch-Staunton (June 19, 1930 – August 17, 2012) was a Canadian senator, who served as interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, from December 2003 to March 2004. He represented the Senate division of Grandville, Quebec. Lynch-Staunton was the first Senator to lead a federal political party since Arthur Meighen from 1941 to 1942.

Early years and education

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Lynch-Staunton was educated at Collège Stanislas and Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montreal. He obtained a B.Sc in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1953, and did graduate work towards a Master of Arts degree in Canadian History at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, from 1953 to 1955.

Family

Lynch-Staunton married Juliana de Kuyper in 1958. The couple had five children: Mark (d: 2013), Peter (d: 2015), Gabrielle, Sophie and Sean. Lynch-Staunton has 9 grandchildren: Caitlin, Harrison, Connor, Juliana, Aidan, Jaryd, Monique, Jack, Matthew and Tyce (b: 2016).

City councillor

Lynch-Staunton was elected to the city council of Montreal in 1960. He represented the district of Côte-des-Neiges and was a member of Mayor Jean Drapeau's Parti civique de Montréal. He was re-elected in 1962, 1966 and 1970. Mayor Drapeau appointed him to the executive committee as vice chairman. In 1974 he lost his bid for re-election to Nick Auf der Maur as the Rassemblement des citoyens et citoyennes de Montréal (RCM) achieved its first political breakthrough.

Provincial politics

Lynch-Staunton ran as a Union Nationale candidate for a provincial by-election in the district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in 1968. He was defeated by Liberal candidate William Tetley.

Senator

Lynch-Staunton was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on September 23, 1990. The following year, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, and he became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in December 1993 following the Liberal victory in that year's general election. From December 8, 2003, with the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ratified by both parties, he served as interim leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada until the election of Stephen Harper in March 2004. "Lynch-Staunton's high-road leadership of a Senate majority in opposition to an elected majority government in the Commons is a model for students of Parliament – and for future reference when history repeats itself". He remained Leader of the Opposition in the Senate until September 30, 2004, and retired from Parliament when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on June 19, 2005.

Retirement

Lynch-Staunton won a council seat in Stanstead in the Quebec municipal elections on November 1, 2009.

Death

Lynch-Staunton died on August 17, 2012, following a heart attack while he was at a family reunion in Pincher Creek, Alberta; he was 82 years old.

External links

• John Lynch-Staunton – Parliament of Canada biography