Wells was born in Toronto and educated at Victoria College and the University of Toronto. Wells and William Davis played on the University of Toronto's football team at the same time and were both members of the campus Progressive Conservative association.[1] Wells worked as advertising manager for the Canadian Medical Association from 1960 to 1967. He also served on the Scarborough Board of Education from 1957 to 1963, was its chair in 1961–62, and held a concurrent position on the Metropolitan Toronto School Board in 1962–63.
Wells was promoted to Minister of Health on August 13, 1969,[5] and was responsible for introducing Medicare to the province. In 1971, he was the only member of the Robarts cabinet to support Allan Lawrence's bid to succeed Robarts as Progressive Conservative Party leader and premier of Ontario.[6] Lawrence lost to William Davis on the last ballot, by forty-four votes. When Davis succeeded Robarts as Premier of Ontario on March 1, 1971, he named Wells as his Minister of Social and Family Services.[7]
Wells was re-elected again in the 1971 election, defeating Brewin for a second time by a greatly increased margin.[8] He was promoted to Minister of Education on February 2, 1972.[9] Shortly after his appointment, Wells permitted Ontario schoolchildren to watch the final game of the 1972 "Summit Series" ice hockey tournament between Canada and the Soviet Union from their classrooms.[10] He defeated Liberal challenger Gerry Phillips by 2,677 votes in the 1975 election,[11] and was returned by a greater majority again in 1977.[12]
On January 17, 1985, Davis appointed Wells as Ontario's agent-general in London, UK.[15] Because of this appointment, he remained neutral in the Progressive Conservative Party's February 1985 leadership convention. He remained as agent-general until 1992, and then returned to Toronto. In 1992, he led Toronto's unsuccessful bid to host Expo '98.
Wells died of cancer at Toronto's North York General Hospital in October 2000.
Legacy
On February 23, 2005, the Toronto District School Board passed a motion moved by Scarborough-Rouge River School Trustee Noah Ng supported by the local school community to name the first school constructed by the Toronto District School Board after Thomas Leonard Wells. Thomas L. Wells Public School opened its doors for Junior Kindergarten to Grade Eight students on September 6, 2005. The school itself was honoured with an award in December 2005 by Canadian Architect Magazine.
A street within the Heathwood Community in Scarborough near the intersection of Birchmount Road and Sanwood Boulevard has been named after Thomas Leonard Wells. Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt City Councillor Mike Del Grande, recommended the name of Tom Wells Crescent for the new housing sub-division which was approved by Scarborough and Toronto City Council.
^Manthorpe, Jonathan; Slinger, John (March 2, 1971). "Changes in policies promised: Davis priorities to include environment and jobless". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
^"Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
^"The Cabinet for Ontario". The Globe and Mail. February 3, 1972. p. 4.
^Downey, Donn (October 13, 2000). "Veteran served in Big Blue Machine". Globe and Mail.
^"Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
^"Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
^Oziewicz, Stan; Yaffe, Barbara (August 19, 1978). "McCague, Baetz are demoted in cabinet shuffle". The Globe and Mail. pp. 1, 2.
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