Eugene Whelan

Eugene Gene Francis Whelan, PC, OC, CD, PAg , hw i l n , July 11, 1924 February 19, 2013 was a Canadian politician, sitting in the House of Commons from 1962 to 1984, and in the Senate from 1996 to 1999. He was also Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau from 1972 to 1984, and became one of Canadas bestknown politicians. During his career, he would meet Queen Elizabeth II, help Canada beat U.S. president Richard Nixon to the punch in opening up China, and play a catalyzing role in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War. In an editorial immediately following his death, the Windsor Star said

Born in Amherstburg, Ontario, the middle of nine children born to Charles B. Whelan and Frances L. Kelly, he was educated in Windsor and Walkerville. At 16, Whelan quit school and spent some time as a welder and tool and die maker before returning to farming. In 1960, Whelan married Elizabeth Pollinger.

Source: Wikipedia