Eugene Whelan, Canadian farmer and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
Eugene Francis "Gene" Whelan, ((1924-07-11)July 11, 1924 – (2013-02-19)February 19, 2013) was a Canadian politician, sitting in the House of Commons from 1962 to 1984, and in the Senate from 1996 to 1999. He was also Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau from 1972 to 1984, and became one of Canada's best-known politicians. During his career, he would meet Queen Elizabeth II, help Canada beat U.S. president Richard Nixon to the punch in "opening up" China, and play a catalyzing role in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War. In an editorial immediately following his death, the Windsor Star said:
He was folksy, flamboyant and colourful. He was the farmer in the iconic green Stetson. He was blunt and rough around the edges. At times he was the antithesis of all things politically correct.And, while nobody said it in so many words, he was also the guy who made being minister of agriculture seem almost sexy. Perhaps that’s because being in a Pierre Trudeau government was sexy in itself. Regardless, Whelan is likely the only MP to hold that post and have his name remembered because of it.
Whelan was always known as a die hard Liberal. He loved to boast,
The Conservatives have the right wing, the NDP have the left wing. The Liberals have two wings and that's why we can fly.
When he announced that he was running for the Liberal leadership in 1984, he said:
I don't think there is any politician that is as well known in the world as I am.