Eugene Whelan

Eugene Francis "Gene" Whelan (11 July 1924 – 19 February 2013) was a Canadian politician, sitting in the House of Commons from 1962 to 1984, and in the Senate from 1996 to 1999. He was also Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau from 1972 to 1984, and became one of Canada's best-known politicians. During his career, he would meet Queen Elizabeth II, help Canada beat U.S.

president Richard Nixon to the punch in "opening up" China, and play a catalyzing role in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War. In an editorial immediately following his death, the Windsor Star said: Whelan was always known as a die hard Liberal. He loved to boast, When he announced that he was running for the Liberal leadership in 1984, he said: