View source for Donald Fleming

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{for multi|the politician from Alberta|Donald S. Fleming|the Canadian chemist|Donald Fleming (chemist)|the American historian|Donald Harnish Fleming}}
{{Infobox CanadianMP
| honorific_prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name = Donald Fleming
| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}}
| birth_name       = Donald Methuen Fleming
| image            = Donald Fleming.jpg
| caption          = 
| office1          = [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Minister of Justice]]
| term_start1      = August 9, 1962
| term_end1        = April 21, 1963
| primeminister1   = [[John Diefenbaker]]
| predecessor1     = [[Davie Fulton]]
| successor1       = [[Lionel Chevrier]]
| office2          = [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]
| term_start2      = June 21, 1957
| term_end2        = August 8, 1962
| primeminister2   = John Diefenbaker
| predecessor2     = [[Walter Edward Harris|Walter Harris]]
| successor2       = [[George Nowlan]]
| parliament3      = Canadian
| riding3          = [[Eglinton (federal electoral district)|Eglinton]]
| term_start3      = June 11, 1945
| term_end3        = April 7, 1963
| predecessor3     = [[Frederick Hoblitzell]]
| successor3       = [[Mitchell Sharp]]
| party            = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]]
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1905|05|23}}
| birth_place      = [[Exeter, Ontario]], Canada
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1986|12|31|1905|05|23}}
| death_place      = [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
| spouse           =
}}

'''Donald Methuen Fleming''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} (May 23, 1905 &ndash; December 31, 1986) was a Canadian parliamentarian, [[International Monetary Fund]] official and lawyer, born in [[Exeter, Ontario]], Canada.<ref>{{cite news | title = ''Donald Fleming Dies; Ex-Canadian Official'' | work =New York Times, pg.8  | date = January 3, 1987}}</ref>

==Biography==
Fleming was born in [[Exeter, Ontario]], in 1905.<ref name = Star>{{cite news|url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/948920896/|title = Don Fleming, 81, was former cabinet minister|date = January 1, 1987|newspaper = [[Toronto Star]]|agency = [[The Canadian Press]]|page = D15|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|url-access = subscription|accessdate = December 5, 2023}}</ref><ref name = Times>{{cite news|title = Mr Donald Fleming|date = January 6, 1987|newspaper = [[The Times]]|page = 14}}</Ref> He was educated at the [[University of Toronto]] and [[Osgoode Hall Law School]].<ref name = Times/> He was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] in the [[1945 Canadian federal election|1945 general election]] as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] candidate in the [[Toronto]] [[electoral district (Canada)|riding]] of [[Eglinton (federal electoral district)|Eglinton]].<ref name = Star/> In 1948, he was a candidate in that year's [[Progressive Conservative leadership convention, 1948|Progressive Conservative leadership convention]], losing to [[George A. Drew|George Drew]]. He ran for the leadership again in the [[Progressive Conservative leadership convention, 1956|1956 leadership convention]], losing to [[John Diefenbaker]].

The [[Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada|Speaker]] expelled Fleming from the House of Commons during the 1956 [[Pipeline Debate]] that helped lead to the defeat of the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] government of [[Louis St. Laurent]] in the [[1957 Canadian federal election|1957 general election]].<ref name = Times/>

Diefenbaker became the new prime minister and appointed Fleming  to the [[Canadian cabinet|cabinet]] as [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]. As finance minister, Fleming clashed with the governor of the [[Bank of Canada]], [[James Elliott Coyne|James Coyne]], over [[monetary policy]] and ultimately demanded and got Coyne's resignation in 1961. In 1962, Fleming became the [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Attorney General]] of Canada before retiring from politics in 1963.<ref name = Star/>

Fleming returned to politics to seek the PC Party leadership at the [[Progressive Conservative leadership convention, 1967|1967 leadership convention]] for a third time, but came in seventh, and left political life for good.

In later life, he was Governor of the [[World Bank]], an International Monetary Fund official and Chairman of the [[Bank of Nova Scotia]].

===Personal life===
Fleming married Alice Watson in 1933, and they had three children.<ref name = Times/> He was a devout Christian, and was an elder of the [[Bloor Street United Church]] in Toronto.<ref name = Times/> 

Fleming died in Toronto from a stroke on December 31, 1986, at the age of 81.<ref name = Star/>

== Archives ==
There is a Donald Methuen Fleming [[fonds]] at [[Library and Archives Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donald Methuen Fleming fonds, Library and Archives Canada|url=http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=104446&lang=eng}}</ref> 

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=3953}}

{{CanMinFinance}}
{{CA-Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Donald Methuen}}
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:Ministers of finance of Canada]]
[[Category:Lawyers in Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidates]]