{{Short description|Canadian politician (1930–2020)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Douglas Wiseman | image = | caption = | office1 = Ontario MPP | term_start1 = 1987 | term_end1 = 1990 | predecessor1 = ''New riding'' | successor1 = Leo Jordan | constituency1 = Lanark—Renfrew | term_start2 = 1971 | term_end2 = 1987 | predecessor2 = George Gomme | successor2 = ''Riding abolished'' | constituency2 = Lanark | party = Progressive Conservative | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|7|21}} | birth_place = Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|8|1|1929|7|21}} | death_place = Perth, Ontario, Canada | occupation = Businessman, farmer | spouse = | children = | portfolio = Minister without portfolio, 1978-79 }} '''Douglas Jack Wiseman''' (July 21, 1930 – August 1, 2020) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative from 1971 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bill Davis.
==Background== Wiseman was educated at Smiths Falls College, and worked as a farmer and small businessman. He developed a prominent cow-calf business in the region, and later opened a chain of discount shoe stores. Wiseman was also a public school board chair, and a trustee of St. Paul's United Church in Perth, Ontario. He died at a hospital in Perth in 2020 at the age of 90.<ref>[https://blairandson.com/tribute/details/4623/Douglas-Wiseman/obituary.html Obituary of Douglas Jack Wiseman]</ref>
==Politics== He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, gaining an easy victory in the eastern Ontario constituency of Lanark.<ref name="1971 results">{{cite news |title=Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=October 23, 1971 |page=10}}</ref> He was returned in the 1975 election,<ref name="1975 results">{{cite news |title=Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 19, 1975 |page=C12}}</ref> and was named parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health on November 19, 1975.
Wiseman was appointed as a minister without portfolio in Davis's government on January 21, 1978.<ref name="1978JanDavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=Scrivener's removal from Cabinet, Baetz posting to cause most talk|last1=Williamson |first1=Robert |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=January 23, 1978 |page=5}}</ref> On August 30, 1979, he was promoted to Minister of Government Services.<ref name="1979DavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=Minor shuffle in Davis Cabinet: Welch will seek compromise on oil price |last=Speirs |first=Rosemary |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=August 31, 1979 |page=4}}</ref> On July 6, 1983 Wiseman was dropped from cabinet.<ref name="1983DavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=Shuffle gives Treasury job to Grossman |last1=Speirs |first1=Rosemary |last2=Stead |first2=Sylvia |last3=Cruikshank |first3=John |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=July 6, 1983 |pages=1, 2}}</ref> Davis gave no particular reason for dropping Wiseman other than to say he needed to make space for "new blood". There was some speculation that Wiseman's removal was a result of a dispute with one of Davis's favourite deputy ministers, Alan Gordon. Wiseman alleged that Gordon had awarded six figure government contracts without tender or permission.<ref name="bastion">{{cite news |title=Lanark: A Tory bastion for 84 years |first=April |last=Lindgren |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=April 16, 1985 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ETg0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=XPUIAAAAIBAJ&pg=1377%2C2735346 |accessdate=June 29, 2014}}</ref>
Wiseman who was upset at the demotion, went so far as to criticize his own party in the house. On May 1, 1984, he accused Solicitor-General George Taylor of forcing the OPP to purchase a pair of new boats from a supplier in Penetanguishene, Ontario which was in Taylor's own riding. The lowest bidder was a company based in Wiseman's riding. Wiseman was accused of retaliation for his removal from cabinet. Wiseman denied this, saying he was only looking out for his constituents. He said, "You have to do what you think is right for your constituents... From time to time you have to take a stand for your people... If you're going to be a jelly fish and hide behind a chair, you shouldn't be in politics."<ref>{{cite news |title=Tory MPP again skewers his own party over boats |last=Steed |first=Judy |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 2, 1984 |page=4}}</ref> In the fall of 1984, Davis, partly to ameliorate the situation, appointed Wiseman to a government commission promoting the sale of agricultural products to the Americans.<ref name="bastion"/>
The Progressive Conservatives, who had governed the province continually since 1943, lost power following the 1985 election but Wiseman was re-elected without difficulty.<ref name="1985 results">{{cite news |title=Results of vote in Ontario election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 3, 1985 |page=13}}</ref> He faced a close challenge from Liberal Bob Pugh in the 1987 campaign in the newly reconfigured riding of Lanark—Renfrew. Wiseman won by 761 votes.<ref name="1987 results">{{cite news |title=Results from individual ridings |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 11, 1987 |page=F2}}</ref> He held no Critic portfolios in the legislature, and did not seek re-election in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|title=Candidates in eastern ridings battle over French services law |last=Allen |first=Gene |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 5, 1990 |page=6}}</ref>
===Cabinet positions=== {{s-start}} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Bill_Davis}} {{ministry box cabinet posts | post1preceded = Lorne Henderson | post1 = Minister of Government Services | post1years = 1979–1983 | post1note = | post1followed = George Ashe }} {{s-end}}
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== *{{Ontario MPP biography|id=douglas-jack-wiseman}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiseman, Douglas}} Category:1930 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Members of the United Church of Canada Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario