Dalton McGuinty

Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013.

He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearly 70 years earlier.

Since 1980, he has been married to high school girlfriend Terri McGuinty, an elementary school teacher.

The couple have one daughter and three sons.

His father served as a Liberal member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1987 until his death in 1990.

A provincial election was called for later that year and McGuinty successfully ran in his father's seat, though the incumbent Liberal government was defeated.

McGuinty's father, Dalton Sr., served as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ottawa South until his death in 1990.

Dalton Jr. won the Liberal Party's nomination for his father's former riding for the provincial election of 1990 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

The Liberal government of David Peterson was defeated by the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) in that election.

In opposition, McGuinty served as the Liberal Party's critic for energy, environment and colleges and universities.

After party leader Lyn McLeod resigned due to her leading the Liberals to a second defeat in the 1995 election, McGuinty was elected leader in the 1996 leadership election.

He was re-elected in Ottawa South in the 1995 provincial election without much difficulty.

The Liberals maintained their status as the official opposition amid a provincial swing from the NDP to the Progressive Conservatives.

McGuinty's supporters in his 1996 leadership bid included John Manley, Murray Elston, and Bob Chiarelli.

He was elected leader at the party's convention December in a surprise victory over front-runner Gerard Kennedy.

Kennedy, a former head of Toronto's Daily Bread food bank, was popular on the progressive wing of the party, while McGuinty built his core support on its establishment and pro-business right-wing.

McGuinty lost the 1999 election to Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris, but won a resounding majority in 2003.

From 2003 to 2007, McGuinty's government increased spending for health care and education.

His younger brother David has represented the riding of Ottawa South in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004.

He is an alumnus of St. Patrick's High School in Ottawa, earning a B.Sc. in biology from McMaster University.

He then earned his LL.B from the University of Ottawa before practicing law in Ottawa.

He won another majority in 2007, though his second term was deeply affected by the 2008 financial crisis, which saw government revenues plummet.

In addition, a scandal developed around a new plan to update health care records called eHealth Ontario.

In 2011, he became the first Liberal premier to secure a third consecutive term since Oliver Mowat after his party was re-elected in that year's provincial election.

McGuinty was born in Ottawa.

He studied science at university, but ended up taking a law degree and practiced law in Ottawa.

Just prior to the 2011 election, another controversy developed when McGuinty's government cancelled gas plants that were located in key Liberal ridings and were widely opposed by the local residents.

The cost to cancel the projects was close to $1 billion and the move was seen as pandering to the electorate in a few electoral districts.

The scandal caused the Liberals to be reduced to a minority government.

McGuinty continued as premier for another year and a half, but the continuing gas plant issue refused to go away.

He prorogued the legislature in October 2012 before being succeeded as Liberal leader and premier by Kathleen Wynne in February 2013.

McGuinty resigned his own seat in June 2013.

Shortly after leaving the legislature, he was named a senior fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

McGuinty was born in Ottawa, Ontario.

His parents are politician and professor Dalton McGuinty Sr.. and full-time nurse Elizabeth (Pexton) McGuinty.

The son of a Francophone mother and an Anglophone father, McGuinty is bilingual.

McGuinty is the second Roman Catholic to hold the premiership.

His father is Irish, and his mother is English and French Canadian.

His maternal grandfather immigrated to Canada from England.

He has nine brothers and sisters.