Larry Grossman
Larry Grossman (1944-1997) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, and a noted baseball fan. He was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Ontario legislature for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist MPP, J. B. Salsberg.
When the elder Grossman retired, Larry Grossman ran and successfully won the seat as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 1975 election. He was re-elected in 1977, 1981 and 1985. Grossman was quickly appointed to the Cabinet of William Davis, and served in various positions including Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations, Minister of Industry and Tourism, Minister of Education, and provincial Treasurer. He progressive views earned him a reputation as a Red Tory.
When Davis announced his resignation as eader of the party and premier of the province, Grossman ran to succeed him. However, delegates to the party's February 1985 leadership convention chose the more conservative Frank Miller as leader. Grossman placed third on the first ballot, ahead of Roy McMurtry, but behind Miler and Dennis Timbrell. With the support of the McMurtry campaign, Grossman moved six votes ahead of Timbrell on the second ballot, but was not able to win enough Timbrell delegates on the third ballot, and lost to Miller.
Miller ran a disastrous campaign in the 1985 election, however, and the Tories ended up losing government for the first time in 42 years. Miller resigned as leader. Grossman was chosen as the new leader of the Tory party over Dennis Timbrell and Alan Pope at a second leadership convention on November 25, 1985.
Grossman became Leader of the Opposition to the minority government of Liberal Premier David Peterson.
The Peterson government became very popular, and Grossman's Tories, in opposition for the first time since the 1940s, had a very difficult time adjusting to their new role. When the Liberals called an early election for the fall of 1987, the Grossman Tories tried to campaign on a right-wing platform of tax cuts and reduced government spending. Grossman's history as a Red Tory made his new-found conservatism less than credible. Further, the voters were generally pleased with Peterson's performance as premier, and were not interested in returning to the Tories. Peterson won a majority government, and the Conservatives were reduced from 52 seats to 16, falling to third place behind the Ontario New Democratic Party. Grossman lost his own seat and promptly resigned. The party selected Andy Brandt as interim leader.
In 1997, Larry Grossman died at the age of 53 from brain cancer.
