Walter George Pitman, OC, O. Ont is an educator and former politician in Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and a Master of Arts in 1954 from the University of Toronto. His victory in a federal by-election held in Peterborough, Ontario in 1960 as a candidate for the New Party was a significant catalyst in the movement to refound the social democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation as the "New Democratic Party" (NDP).

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  • Walter George Pitman, OC, O. Ont is an educator and former politician in Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and a Master of Arts in 1954 from the University of Toronto. His victory in a federal by-election held in Peterborough, Ontario in 1960 as a candidate for the New Party was a significant catalyst in the movement to refound the social democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation as the "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 federal election, was embroiled in a debate about merging with the Canadian Labour Congress in order to create a new, labour-based, 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 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 election in Peterborough. As a New Party candidate, however, Pitman won over 13,000 votes, beating his nearest opponent by more than 3,000 votes. Pitman not only won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons but his electoral performance dwarfed the 1,800 votes the CCF had received in the riding in the 1957 and 1958 elections. 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 election by 500 votes, and was again defeated in the 1963 election by less than 1000 votes. In the 1967 Ontario provincial election, Pitman won the Peterborough seat for the Ontario New Democratic Party. As a 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 NDP leadership convention. He lost his seat in the 1971 provincial election. Following his electoral defeat, Pitman returned to education as director of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and later president of Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. Between his federal and provincial political careers, he was dean of arts and science at Trent University. 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.
  • Walter George Pitman fut un enseignant provincial fédéral de l'Ontario. Né à Toronto, Walter Pitman reçut un baccalauréat en arts en 1952 et une maîtrise en arts en 1954 de l'Université de Toronto. Il enseigna ensuite dans une école secondaire lorsqu'il fut nommé candidat du Nouveau Parti, parti succédant au Parti social démocratique, dans la circonscription de Peterborough. Élu lors d'une élection partielle déclenchée à la suite du député sortant en 1960, Pitman devint député de cette circonscription. Après s'être rallié au Nouveau Parti démocratique en 1961, il perdit les élections de 1962 et de 1963. En 1967, il devint membre du Parlement provincial (MPP) de l'Ontario en devenant député du Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario dans la circonscription de Peterborough. Il tentat sans succès de remplacer Donald C. MacDonald à titre de chef, mais termina deuxième derrière Stephen Lewis lors du course à la chefferie du NPD ontarien en 1970. Il perdit son siège de député lors des élections de 1971. Après sa défaite électorale, Pitman retourna dans le domaine de l'éducation en devenant directeur de l'Ontario Institute for Studies in Education et ensuite président de l'Institut polytechnique de l'Université Ryerson de Toronto. Durant la période entre sa carrière en politique fédérale et provinciale, il fut doyen des arts et des sciences de l'Université de Trent. En 1992, il devint Officier de l'Ordre du Canada. Il fut également récompensé de l'Ordre de l'Ontario.
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  • Walter C. Pitman, III
  • the geophysicist
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  • Walter George Pitman, OC, O. Ont is an educator and former politician in Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and a Master of Arts in 1954 from the University of Toronto. His victory in a federal by-election held in Peterborough, Ontario in 1960 as a candidate for the New Party was a significant catalyst in the movement to refound the social democratic Cooperative Commonwealth Federation as the "New Democratic Party" (NDP).
  • Walter George Pitman fut un enseignant provincial fédéral de l'Ontario. Né à Toronto, Walter Pitman reçut un baccalauréat en arts en 1952 et une maîtrise en arts en 1954 de l'Université de Toronto. Il enseigna ensuite dans une école secondaire lorsqu'il fut nommé candidat du Nouveau Parti, parti succédant au Parti social démocratique, dans la circonscription de Peterborough.
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  • Walter Pitman
  • Walter Pitman
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