Larry Grossman (politician)

Larry Grossman
Leader of the Opposition
In office 1985–1987
Preceded by	David Peterson
Succeeded by	Bob Rae
Personal details
Born	Lawrence Sheldon Grossman (1943-12-02)December 2, 1943 Toronto, Ontario
Died	June 22, 1997(1997-06-22) (aged 53) Toronto, Ontario
Resting place	Beth Tzedec Memorial Park
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse	Carole (div.)
Children	3
Parent(s)	Allan Grossman and Ethel Starkman
Occupation	Lawyer

Lawrence Sheldon "Larry" Grossman, (December 2, 1943 – June 22, 1997) was a politician in

Background

Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of

. He was admitted to the bar in 1969.

Politics

Grossman's first foray into politics was in the Toronto municipal election of 1972. He competed for alderman in Ward 11, but lost, coming third behind Anne Johnston and David Smith.^[2]

When his father retired, Grossman contested and won in the riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick in the 1975 election, defeating Ontario New Democratic Party candidate Barbara Beardsley by 419 votes.^[3] He was re-elected in the 1977,^[4] 1981,^[5] and 1985 elections.^[6]

After serving as

Grossman was promoted to the high-profile position of

In cabinet, Grossman's progressive views earned him a reputation as a Red Tory, and he clashed with his own party after then-Health Minister Frank Miller closed the Kensington Hospital in Grossman's riding.

Cabinet posts

Ontario provincial government of Bill Davis
Cabinet posts (4)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Frank Miller	Treasurer[b] 1983–1985 Also Minister of Economics	Bette Stephenson
Dennis Timbrell	Minister of Health 1982–1983	Thomas Wells
John Rhodes	Minister of Industry and Tourism 1978–1982	Reuben Baetz
Sid Handleman	Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations 1977–1978	Frank Drea

Leadership

When Davis announced his resignation as leader of the party and premier of the province, Grossman ran to succeed him. He was widely regarded as the most progressive candidate, and was endorsed by members of the party's Toronto-based

. With the support of the McMurtry campaign, Grossman moved six votes ahead of Timbrell on the second ballot. It was confirmed in 1987 by Dr. John Balkwill that the Miller campaign did not want the prospect of facing Timbrell on the final ballot, since their tracking of delegate intentions showed that their candidate would lose decisively to Timbrell, so about 30-40 Miller delegates voted strategically for Grossman to ensure Timbrell's elimination.

Timbrell, who was a bitter rival of Grossman but also wanted to prevent a Miller victory, reluctantly endorsed Grossman after the results were confirmed by a recount. He did not bring enough delegates on the third ballot, however, and Grossman lost to Miller. Grossman remained the Provincial Treasurer in Miller's government.

Miller ran a disastrous campaign in the

joined forces to topple Miller's government in the legislature.

Miller quickly resigned as leader, and Grossman was chosen as the new leader over Dennis Timbrell and Alan Pope at a second leadership convention on November 16, 1985. Pope was forced on the defensive when one of his workers was caught polling party members as to whether religion would make a difference in the leadership race, which was seen as a reference to Grossman's Jewish background.^[10] Timbrell lost support when he declared his opposition to the full funding of Catholic schools, causing Norm Sterling to defect to Grossman's campaign. Grossman defeated Timbrell by only 19 votes on the second ballot, in a campaign that was marked by considerable acrimony.

Grossman became

.

Grossman's political hero was

laissez-faire liberalism

."

Opposition

The Peterson government was very popular, and Grossman's Tories, in opposition for the first time since 1943, had a difficult time adjusting to their new role. When the Liberals called an early election for the fall of 1987, Grossman's Tories tried to campaign on a right-wing platform of tax cuts and reduced government spending. Grossman's history as a Red Tory made for a poor contrast with the party's new platform. Peterson won a strong majority government in the 1987 election, and the Conservatives were reduced from 52 seats to 16, falling to third place behind the NDP—their worst showing in over half a century. Grossman lost his own seat to Liberal challenger Ron Kanter and promptly resigned.^[11] The party selected Andy Brandt as interim leader.

Retirement and last years

He assisted new party leader Mike Harris in the 1990 provincial election, and coached him to stay "on-message" with the issue of tax cuts.

In the early 1990s, Grossman hosted a weekend talk show on radio station CFRB.^[12]

In 1997, Larry Grossman died at the age of 53 from brain cancer. A few days before his death, he invited

shortly before his death. He left behind his three children Melissa, Jaimie and Robbie. He was divorced from Carole, their mother, at the time of his death.

In 2004, the Forest Hill Arena, a local Toronto hockey and skating rink where his children played, was renamed the Larry Grossman Forest Hill Memorial Arena in his honour.

References

Notes

Citations

Further reading

• Colombo, John Robert. Hall of Fame & Obituaries : The 1998 Canadian Global Almanac, 1998.
  ISBN 978-0-7715-7421-4
  .

External links

• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history