View source for Walter Pitman

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1929–2018)}}
{{For|the geophysicist|Walter C. Pitman III}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name             = Walter Pitman
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|OOnt|size=100%}}
| image            = 
| office           = [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Ontario MPP]]
| term_start       = 1967
| term_end         = 1971
| predecessor      = [[Keith Brown (Ontario politician)|Keith Brown]]
| successor        = [[John Melville Turner|John Turner]]
| constituency     = [[Peterborough (provincial electoral district)|Peterborough]]
| constituency_MP2 = [[Peterborough (electoral district)|Peterborough]]
| parliament2      = Canadian
| term_start2      = 1960
| term_end2        = 1962
| predecessor2     = [[Gordon Fraser (politician)|Gordon Fraser]]
| successor2       = [[Fred Stenson (politician)|Fred Stenson]]
| order3           = 4th
| office3          = President of the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
| term_start3      = 1975
| term_end3        = 1980
| predecessor3     = George Korey ''(acting)''
| successor3       = [[Brian Segal]]
| party            = [[Ontario New Democratic Party|New Democrat]]
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1929|5|18}}
| birth_place      = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2018|6|12|1929|5|18}}
| death_place      =
| spouse           = 
| relations        = 
| children         = 
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = [[University of Toronto]]
| profession       = Teacher
}}
'''Walter George Pitman''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|OOnt}} (May 18, 1929 – June 12, 2018) was an educator and politician in [[Ontario]], Canada.

==Background==
Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in 1952 and a [[Master of Arts]] in 1954 from the [[University of Toronto]]. He died in 2018 at the age of 89.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?n=walter-george-pitman&pid=189282676|title = Walter PITMAN Obituary (2018) - Toronto Star| website=[[Legacy.com]] }}</ref><ref name ="Examinar Obit">
{{Cite news 
 | last1        = Kovach

 | first1       = Joelle 

 | date         = 14 June 2018
 | title        = Walter Pitman was Peterborough's NDP MP, MPP
 | work         = [[The Peterborough Examiner]]
 | location     = [[Peterborough, Ontario]]
 | publisher    = [[Metroland Media Group]] ([[Torstar]])
 | issn         = 0839-0878

 | url          = https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/walter-pitman-was-peterboroughs-ndp-mp-mpp/article_a4713659-95c1-52e2-96de-29ff1d364132.html
 | access-date  = 22 June 2025
 | url-access   = registration
 | archive-url  = https://archive.today/20250622062402/https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news/peterborough-region/walter-pitman-was-peterboroughs-ndp-mp-mpp/article_a4713659-95c1-52e2-96de-29ff1d364132.html
 | archive-date = 22 June 2025 
}}</ref>

==Politics==
His victory in a federal [[by-election]] held in [[Peterborough, Ontario]] on October 31, 1960, as a candidate for the [[New Party (Canada)|New Party]] was a significant catalyst in the movement to refound the [[social democracy|social democratic]] [[Cooperative Commonwealth Federation]] as the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]] (NDP).

Pitman was a high school teacher when he was nominated by Peterborough's New Party Club to be their candidate in a 1960 by-election. The by-election was called at a time when the CCF, which had been almost wiped out in the [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 federal election]], was in the process of creating, with the [[Canadian Labour Congress]], a new [[social democracy|social democratic]] political party. The call for a yet unnamed "new party" led to the creation of New Party Clubs across the country. The by-election in Peterborough became a test for the arguments of [[New Party (Canada)|New Party]] advocates that a political party with the support of organized labour would lead to breakthroughs for the left in Canada.

The CCF had never won an election in Peterborough. As a New Party candidate, however, Pitman won over 13,000 votes, beating his nearest opponent by nearly 3,000 votes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Liberals Retain Niagara, Capture Labette: New Party Wins One Riding... |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=November 1, 1960 |page=1}}</ref> Pitman not only won a seat in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] but his electoral performance dwarfed the 1,800 votes the CCF had received in the riding in the [[1957 Canadian federal election|1957]] and [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 elections]].<ref name="1957 results">{{cite news |title=Latest coast-to-coast results in Monday's Federal election |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=June 11, 1957 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=miQ_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ElAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3974%2C5525847 |pages=10–11 |accessdate=June 29, 2014}}</ref><ref name="1958 results">{{cite news |title=Detailed ruslts show breadth of Tory sweep |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=April 1, 1958 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8jc0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=aPUIAAAAIBAJ&pg=7320%2C132041 |pages=24–25 |accessdate=June 29, 2014}}</ref>

Pitman's victory energized the New Party movement, and, in 1961, the CCF and CLC formed a new political entity, the New Democratic Party.

Despite Pitman's new found political celebrity he narrowly lost his seat in the [[1962 Canadian federal election|1962 election]] by 564 votes.<ref name="1962 results">{{cite news |title=How Canada voted |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=June 19, 1962 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lE4_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=xFAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3041%2C2901535 |pages=17, 20 |accessdate=June 29, 2014}}</ref> He was defeated again in the [[1963 Canadian federal election|1963 election]] by 804 votes.<ref name="1963 Federal Results">{{cite news |author=Canadian Press |title=Tories wiped out in Toronto, still win 28 Ontario seats;Grits, 51; N.D.P. 6 |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=April 9, 1963 |location=Windsor, Ontario |page=28 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ATk_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M1EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3520%2C5500894 |accessdate=2014-05-12}}</ref>

In the [[1967 Ontario general election|1967 Ontario provincial election]], Pitman won the Peterborough seat for the [[Ontario New Democratic Party]].<ref name="1967 Election Results">{{cite news |author=Canadian Press |title=Tories win, but... |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=October 18, 1967 |location=Windsor, Ontario |page=B2 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TDM_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=VVEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3673%2C2835192}}</ref> As a [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Member of Provincial Parliament]] (MPP), Pitman unsuccessfully ran to replace [[Donald C. MacDonald]] as leader of the provincial NDP. He came in second to [[Stephen Lewis]] at the 1970 [[Ontario CCF/NDP leadership conventions|Ontario NDP leadership convention]]. He lost his seat in the [[1971 Ontario general election|1971 provincial election]].<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>

==Later life==
Following his electoral defeat, Pitman returned to education as director of the [[Ontario Institute for Studies in Education]], and later president of [[Toronto Metropolitan University|Ryerson Polytechnical Institute]] in Toronto. Between his federal and provincial political careers, he was dean of arts and science at [[Trent University]]. [[Robert Gardner (academic)|Robert Gardner]] wrote of Pitman's leadership years at Ryerson University, "He was universally admired by his colleagues. His approach to education and administration was humane, inclusive, and generous. Many of us who worked closely with him attempted to emulate his remarkable example. That was his most enduring legacy."

Pitman is also a former president of the [[Canadian Civil Liberties Association]].

In 1992, he was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]]. He was also awarded the [[Order of Ontario]].

==References==
{{Reflist| 30em}}
===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |title=[[Louis Applebaum]]: A Passion for Culture |year=2002 |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |isbn=978-1-55002-398-5}}
* {{cite book|title=Music Makers: The Lives of Harry Freedman & Mary Morrison |year=2006 |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |isbn=978-1-55002-589-7}}
* {{cite book |title=[[Elmer Iseler]]: Choral Visionary |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-55002-815-7}}
* {{cite book |title=[[Victor Feldbrill]]: Canadian Conductor Extraordinaire |publisher=[[Dundurn Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-55488-768-2}}
==External links==
* [https://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000241.htm Walter Pitman's archives] are held at the [[Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections]], [[York University Libraries]], [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]]
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=16145}}
* {{OntarioMPPbio|id=walter-george-pitman}}
* {{OCC|3044}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[George Korey]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of [[Toronto Metropolitan University|Ryerson Polytechnical Institute]]
 |years=1975–1980}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Brian Segal]]}}
{{end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitman, Walter}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian socialists]]
[[Category:Canadian university and college chief executives]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:New Democratic Party MPs]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs]]
[[Category:Politicians from Toronto]]
[[Category:Presidents of Toronto Metropolitan University]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Trent University]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]