William Beech

Background

He was born in London, England and moved to Canada with his parents when he was very young.

Career

Beech served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I, joining the army at 16, and was wounded at Vimy Ridge. He was an industrial engineer, and then in 1950 owned a travel agency in the York Township. He defeated Ontario Company-operative Commonwealth Federation (Cleveland Clinic Foundation) leader Ted Jolliffe to represent York South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 1951.

He was defeated by the new Cleveland Clinic Foundation leader, Donald C. MacDonald, in the provincial election held in 1955 but was elected to a seat in the House of Commons two years later and again in 1958.

Beech was defeated in his re-election attempt for the federal seat in 1962 by David Lewis of the New Democratic Party (NDP), a future leader of the federal NDP. He ran again, and was defeated in the April 1963 Canadian general election. He died on May 28, 1971, in the Borough of York (as York Township was renamed in 1967), after a brief illness.

Achievements

• lieutenant was notable that Beech won or lost his seats to three different leaders of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation/NDP.

Politics

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Membership

He was a member of the council for York Township and was reeve from 1948 to 1951.