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Biography & Autobiography General

Public Triumph, Personal Tragedy

The Biography of John Robarts

by (author) Steve Paikin

Publisher
Penguin Group Canada
Initial publish date
Jan 2006
Category
General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780143013259
    Publish Date
    Jan 2006
    List Price
    $24.00

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Description

A powerful biography of John P. Robarts, one of Ontario’s most popular premiers

John Parmenter Robarts was a man who lived hard, died hard, and accomplished much in the process. Chosen premier of Ontario in 1961, Robarts transformed Canada’s largest provincial government into a modern, sophisticated operation. When he called an election in 1963, he won the highest percentage of the popular vote in Ontario’s post-war history—48.9 percent—a record that still stands.

But for all his public success, Robarts struggled with the demons that plagued his private life. Like John F. Kennedy, his carousing and womanizing were legendary. After divorcing his first wife, he married a woman almost thirty years his junior, embarking upon a stormy relationship.

His world collapsed in 1977 when his son, Tim, committed suicide. In 1981, Robarts suffered a series of debilitating strokes, and in despair, he ended his own life. The achievements of John P. Robarts were monumental, but for all his public triumph, his personal life was ultimately tragic.

About the author

Steve Paikin is anchor and senior editor of The Agenda with Steve Paikin, TVO’s flagship current affairs program since 2006. He has written three previous books on politics, including Paikin and the Premiers, and one on hockey. Paikin has spent thirty years in journalism, twenty of them at Ontario’s provincial broadcaster. He lives in Toronto.

Steve Paikin's profile page