Whelan: The Man in the Green Stetson

Gerry Meek was a librarian in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The political career of Eugene Whelan was as distinctive and unique as the green Stetson hat which became his trademark. In these memoirs, written in his own inimitable style, he recounts the story of his early life, lengthy career, and many accomplishments in the field of Canadian politics.

Raised on a farm and himself a farmer, upon his initial election to the House of Commons, in 1962, he quickly identified himself as a spokesman for the farmer’s interests. This was a role that he deeply cherished and actively fulfilled throughout the course of his political career. Direct, colourful and outspoken, Whelan also proved himself a dedicated and conscientious politician as well as a tireless worker who enjoyed an immense personal popularity throughout the country. In the course of a distinguished career, he served for 22years as a Member of Parliament, 12years as the Minister of Agriculture, and unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Liberal party in 1984. As Whelan himself writes “not bad for a farm boy who didn’t even wear shoes to elementary school.”