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♂ Richard Bennett Hatfield
aliasRichard Hatfield
Record
26486 · 2560

☆   Gay (not public) ∞1
Type of record
Elected candidate ✓
Known but unelected candidate
Perennial candidate		 Deceased Performance: 88%
  ✓ ✗ ∑
New Brunswick 7 1 8
Birth 9 April 1931 → 93 years ago
Lived 60 years
First mandate 19 June 1961 → 62 years + 10 months ago
↳ at age 30 years + 2 months
Death 26 April 1991 → 33 years ago
Exit → Death 3 years + 6 months after 12 October 1987
Special notes
None
 
Richard Bennett Hatfield (1931–1991)
© Photo Michael Bedford Photography — Fair trade
Family tie with other documented individual
⊖ Heber H. Hatfield (1885–1952) Father  
 
Well that's interesting!
The fact that the New Brunswick premier from 1970 to 1987 was gay was an open secret while he was alive, but it was only discussed openly after his death. But, in having that discussion, are we forgetting that he remains, to this day, the province's longest serving premier? That said, his electoral record while he was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party is as controversial as he was. Both the 1970 and 1974 general election were "wrong winner" elections. In 1970, with 1,598 fewer votes than the Liberals province-wide, his party won a 3-seat majority in the assembly. In 1974, with 2,068 fewer votes, his party won a 4-seat majority. With 301 more votes than the Liberals in 1978, his party won a 2-seat majority. Only his 1982 victory was decisive, and one could say that it was as decisive as his defeat in 1987, when every single member elected to the assembly was a Liberal!
 

Length of Service in elected office

Legislature Total Government Opposition
years months days years months days years months days
New Brunswick 26 3 17 Z

Leadership roles

  Duration
# Legislature Party M Int Role Age Dates y m d
1. NB 46
PC
 1 Opposition Leader 36–39 13 Oct 1967 — 25 Oct 1970 3 0 12
2. NB 46
PC
 1 ✓ Party leader 36–38 14 Oct 1967 — 13 Jun 1969 1 7 30
3. NB 46–50
PC
 2 Party leader 38–56 14 Jun 1969 — 13 Oct 1987 18 3 29
4. NB 47–50
PC
 1 Premier 39–56 26 Oct 1970 — 12 Oct 1987 16 11 16

Electoral history

Races 8  
Path points 8  
4 documented challengers
⊖ Allison W. DeLong  m 
⊖ Fred A. McCain  m  (2 runoffs)
 		 ⊖ Charles G. Gallagher  m 
⊖ A. Edison Stairs  m  (3 runoffs)
 
Eligible: inc. Votes: 10,451 Participation: inc. Candidacies: 2
Provincial
44		 New Brunswick
19 June 1961
By-Election
First-past-the-post
Gov't  LIB  Majority
ID: 32496(F) — 22 Jul 2021 09:16 ET
✓
 → New to this legislature
Age
30
PC
 1/2 6,107 58.43% +1,763 Loser:
LIB
 4,344 41.57% Gerald S. Clark

Service: 1 year 10 months 2 days (Oppo.)
Eligible: inc. Votes: 29,554 Participation: inc. Candidacies: 6
Provincial
45		 New Brunswick
22 April 1963
General
Plurality-at-large (3)
Gov't  LIB  Majority
ID: 32500(F) — 20 Sep 2021 17:24 ET
✓
 Re-elected incumbent
Age
32
PC
 3/6 6,417 65.14% +2,976 Loser:
LIB
 3,441 34.93% Robert Culberson

Service: 4 years 5 months 20 days (Oppo.)
Eligible: 12,436 Votes: 25,642 Participation: 84.54% Candidacies: 5
Provincial
46		 New Brunswick
13 October 1967
General
Plurality-at-large (3)
Gov't  LIB  Majority
ID: 32521(F) — 20 Sep 2021 17:24 ET
✓
 Re-elected incumbent
Age
36
PC
 1/5 5,907 69.11% +1,348 Loser:
LIB
 4,559 53.34% Robert McCain

Service: 3 years 12 days (Oppo.)
Eligible: 13,454 Votes: 26,680 Participation: 74.73% Candidacies: 9
Provincial
47		 New Brunswick
26 October 1970
General
Plurality-at-large (3)
Gov't  PC  Majority
ID: 32549(F) — 20 Sep 2021 17:24 ET
✓
 Re-elected incumbent (Party leader)
Age
39
PC
 1/9 6,295 71.11% +3,584 Loser:
LIB
 2,711 30.62% James Patterson

Service: 4 years 22 days (Gov't)
Eligible: 4,607 Votes: 3,294 Participation: 71.50% Candidacies: 2
Provincial
48		 New Brunswick
18 November 1974
General
First-past-the-post
Gov't  PC  Majority
ID: 8490(F) — 22 Jul 2021 09:36 ET
✓
 Re-elected incumbent (Party leader)
Age
43
PC
 1/2 2,033 62.06% +790 Loser:
LIB
 1,243 37.94% Aage Skaarup

Service: 3 years 11 months 4 days (Gov't)
Eligible: 4,945 Votes: 3,822 Participation: 77.29% Candidacies: 2
Provincial
49		 New Brunswick
23 October 1978
General
First-past-the-post
Gov't  PC  Majority
ID: 8432(F) — 15 Sep 2021 22:09 ET
✓
 Re-elected incumbent (Party leader)
Age
47
PC
 1/2 2,043 54.09% +309 Loser:
LIB
 1,734 45.91% David E. Crouse

Service: 3 years 11 months 18 days (Gov't)
Eligible: 5,183 Votes: 4,407 Participation: 85.03% Candidacies: 3
Provincial
50		 New Brunswick
12 October 1982
General
First-past-the-post
Gov't  PC  Majority
ID: 1751(F) — 15 Sep 2021 22:10 ET
✓
 Re-elected incumbent (Party leader)
Age
51
PC
 1/3 2,266 51.85% +290 Loser:
LIB
 1,976 45.22% David E. Crouse

Service: 5 years (Gov't)
Eligible: 5,579 Votes: 4,858 Participation: 87.08% Candidacies: 3
Provincial
51		 New Brunswick
13 October 1987
General
First-past-the-post
Gov't  LIB  Majority
ID: 1693(F) — 15 Sep 2021 22:10 ET
✗
 Defeated incumbent → (Party leader)
Age
56
PC
 2/3 1,853 38.42% -934 Winner:
LIB
 2,787 57.79% Allison W. DeLong

Online biographical references (5)

Bilingual references are counted as a single reference.  Retrieved on
EN Non-standard link
Rachel Cave, CBC News (23 September 2019), Man claiming to be ex-premier's son finds no answer in unsealed documents		 14 Apr 2024
EN Canadian Encyclopedia
Richard Bennett Hatfield		 14 Apr 2024
FR Encyclopédie canadienne
Hatfield, Richard Bennett		 14 Apr 2024
EN Parliament of Canada (ParlInfo)
The Hon. Richard Bennett Hatfield, P.C., Senator		 14 Apr 2024
FR Parlement du Canada (ParlInfo)
L'hon. Richard Bennett Hatfield, C.P., sénateur		 14 Apr 2024
EN Wikipedia
Richard Hatfield		 14 Apr 2024
FR Wikipédia
Richard Bennett Hatfield		 14 Apr 2024

© 2019, 2024 :: PoliCan.ca (Maurice Y. Michaud)
Pub.: 22 Jun 2019 17:01
Rev.: 14 Apr 2024 15:11 (but data presented dynamically)

© 2019-2024 :: PoliCan.ca
Given that electoral results are by their very nature public information, such data that can be found in PoliCan are considered to be in the public domain. However, unless indicated otherwise, all other elements — the concept of consolidating these data into a single format, the detailed research on each election, legislature and candidate, the organization and searchability of the data, the programming allowing the entry and maintenance of the data, as well as the analyses and explanatory articles found in this website — are the intellectual property of Maurice Y. Michaud.