Bruce Cochran (1 December 1919 – 24 January 1984) was a Canadian businessman, publisher, and politician. He represented the electoral district of Lunenburg Centre in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1974 to 1983. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia.
Bruce Cochran | |
|---|---|
| MLA for Lunenburg Centre | |
| In office 1974 – January 24, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Walton Cook |
| Succeeded by | Maxine Cochran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 December 1919[1] Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia |
| Died | 24 January 1984 (aged 64) Rye, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Occupation | Public relations consultant |
Early life and education
editBorn in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Cochran studied at the University of King's College, and graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor's degree in Commerce (B.Com.).[1]
Career
editCochran served the Canadian military as a member of the West Nova Scotia Regiment throughout the duration of World War II (1939–1945) rising to the rank of captain. He married Maxine Elizabeth Bishop in 1951. They had one son, Andrew Bruce Bishop Cochran, born in 1952.
In 1960, he founded his own public relations consulting company, Bruce Cochran Associates.[1] and later became publisher of The Dartmouth Free Press. Cochran entered provincial politics in the 1974 election, defeating Liberal James Kinley by 208 votes in Lunenburg Centre.[2] He was re-elected in the 1978,[3] and 1981 elections.[4]
On 5 October 1978, Cochran was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Consumer Affairs, Minister responsible for Housing (1978), and Minister responsible for Communications and Information (1978).[5] In June 1979, he was appointed Minister of Tourism and served in that position for the rest of time in public office.[1] He also was briefly Minister of Culture, Recreation and Fitness (1979).[1]
Death
editIn November 1983, Cochran resigned from his government duties, citing health reasons,[6] and died in the United States (Rye, NY) in January 1984.[1] His wife, Maxine Cochran succeeded him as MLA and went on to become Nova Scotia's first female cabinet minister.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758–1983: a biographical directory. Public Archives of Nova Scotia. p. 36. ISBN 0-88871-050-X. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1974" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. 1974. p. 98. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1978" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. 1978. p. 98. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1981" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia. 1981. p. 99. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ "Buchanan's Tory cabinet takes over in Nova Scotia". The Globe and Mail. 6 October 1978.
- ^ "Five added, seven shift jobs in Nova Scotia inner circle". The Globe and Mail. 5 November 1983.
- ^ "Maxine Cochran, Nova Scotia's first female cabinet minister, dies". The Chronicle Herald. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.