Félix Vallotton
The affable Liberal leader who broke a 42-year Conservative grip on Ontario, modernizing its politics before a stunning electoral defeat.
1865–1925 (age 60)·Swiss painter and printmaker·Birthday: December 28·The Gilded Age
Biography
David Peterson's premiership was a study in political transition. When he took office in 1985, ending what seemed like a perpetual Progressive Conservative dynasty, he brought a breezy, contemporary style to Queen's Park. His government, formed via a pact with the NDP, was less about radical change and more about modernization and social liberalization. It enacted landmark reforms like extending full rights to same-sex couples, strengthening environmental protections, and expanding official bilingualism. Peterson himself cultivated an image of a pragmatic, business-friendly premier in tune with a booming, confident Ontario. He championed major projects like the SkyDome. However, his call for an early election in 1990, perceived as arrogant, backfired spectacularly, handing power to the NDP in one of the province's greatest political upsets. His tenure, though brief, marked the definitive end of an old political order and set the stage for Ontario's contentious decades to follow.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Félix was born in 1865, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Félix Was Born
The biggest hits of 1865
Félix's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1865Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1870Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Became a teenager
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1881Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1883Could vote
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Turned 21
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Turned 30
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1905Turned 40
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Turned 50
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1925Turned 60
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
Key Achievements
- Ended 42 years of Progressive Conservative government in Ontario by forming a minority government with NDP support in 1985.
- Enacted the pioneering Bill 7, which amended the Ontario Human Rights Code to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
- Oversaw a period of strong economic growth and major infrastructure development, including the initiation of the SkyDome stadium project.
Did You Know?
He is the brother-in-law of former federal Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister John Manley.
After politics, he had a successful career in business, serving as Chancellor of the University of Toronto and chairing several corporate boards.
His 1990 election loss to Bob Rae's NDP is often cited as a classic case of a government misreading public sentiment and calling an unnecessary election.
“I paint without theories; I am only concerned with the effect.”
