Sean O’Sullivan fonds 1923-1942, 1965-1998 RG 431 Brock University Archives Creator: Sean O’Sullivan Extent: 10.5 metres of textual records (37 boxes) ca. 102 photographs 32 negatives 14 audio cassette tapes 4 VHS tapes 1 hat Abstract: Fonds primarily contains material relating to Sean O’Sullivan’s career as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Hamilton-Wentworth from 1972- 1977. The fonds consists mostly of correspondence to and from constituents and colleagues during this period, but also contains other materials such as speeches, photographs, news clippings, and correspondence between Sean O’Sullivan and John Diefenbaker from 1965-1972. Materials: Correspondence, speeches, news clippings, promotional material, photographs, reports, and programs. Repository: Brock University Archives Processed by: Chantal Cameron Last Updated: April 2013 Terms of Use: The Sean O’Sullivan fonds are open for research. Use Restrictions: Current copyright applies. In some instances, researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and RG 431 page 2 the Brock University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the Library’s usual procedures unless otherwise specified. Some of the items have restricted usage. Preferred Citation: RG 431, Sean O’Sullivan fonds, 1965-1998. Brock University Archives, Brock University. Administrative History: Sean O’Sullivan was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1952. At an early age, he demonstrated an interest in politics. A chance meeting with John Diefenbaker in 1963, when Sean was just 11 years old, marked the beginning of his involvement with the Progressive Conservative Party. Diefenbaker became a mentor to him, and the two exchanged correspondence for many years. Sean became an active member of the Party, and his political career took off quickly. In 1965, he was elected to the executive of the Hamilton Area Young Progressive Conservatives, in 1968 was elected President, and also served as Youth Director for Diefenbaker’s re-election campaign. In 1970 he was elected President of the Ontario Young Progressive Conservatives, and in 1971 became Youth Adviser to Premier William Davis. Later that year, Diefenbaker chose Sean to be his Executive Assistant. In addition to his political activities, Sean enrolled at Brock University in 1969 to study political science. In 1972, he resigned as Diefenbaker’s assistant in order to run as a candidate for Hamilton-Wentworth in the federal election that year. At just 20 years of age, Sean was the youngest MP elected to the House of Commons. While working as an MP, Sean continued his studies at Brock University part-time, graduating with distinction. After being re-elected in 1974, he rose to greater prominence when he succeeded in having a private member’s bill passed making the beaver one of Canada’s national symbols. In 1977, he resigned as MP in order to pursue religious studies and become a Catholic priest. After completing four years of studies at the Irish College of Rome’s Gregorian University, Sean was ordained a priest in Toronto in 1981. In July, 1982, he was appointed Director of Vocations (full-time recruiter) for the archdiocese of Toronto. In this capacity, he implemented a controversial and widely publicized campaign to recruit priests. The recruitment succeeded in generating interest in the priesthood, doubling the number of students in the archdiocese. He was one of the founding members of Serra House, a residence for students considering the priesthood. After his term as Vocations Director ended in 1985, O’Sullivan became publisher of The Catholic Register, a weekly church newspaper. That same year, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Brock University. In January 1987, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. Later that year, he submitted a report to the Attorney General of Ontario, titled You’ve got a Friend, after conducting an independent review of Advocacy for Vulnerable Adults in Ontario at the request of the government. RG 431 page 3 In 1983, O’Sullivan was diagnosed with leukemia. The disease went into remission after treatment, but was incurable. In 1989, he had a bone marrow transplant at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, but died shortly afterwards. He was 37 years old. A memorial fund was established in his name, and included contributions from prominent business, church and political leaders such as Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Toronto Sun Chairman Doug Crieghton and His Eminence G. Emmett Carter. The O’Sullivan family requested that Brock University be the beneficiary of the proceeds of the campaign. Scope and Content: Fonds consists mostly of business correspondence from, and to, constituents and colleagues during the time that Sean O’Sullivan served as MP for Hamilton-Wentworth from 1972-1977. Other related materials such as speeches, photographs, news clippings, reports and promotional material are also included. The original order of the business correspondence has been retained, including the original subject headings and file numbers. A card catalogue index (found in boxes 30-32), included with the correspondence, enables easy searching and retrieval of correspondence by surname. The index uses the original file numbers and dates to locate specific correspondence. These file numbers are included in the finding aid in bold print after the file descriptions. Personal correspondence between Sean O’Sullivan and John Diefenbaker, dating from 1965-1972, is arranged separately. A folder containing an index to the speeches is also included. Material within folders is arranged chronologically. Materials within some folders were deemed restricted due to the personal nature of the information in the documents. This personal information (such as personal identification numbers) was removed, and a copy of the document with the personal information redacted put in its place. The original items were removed and placed in a separate box. To view these items, permission must be received from the archivist and any other relevant party. Organization: The records were arranged into four series: Series I: Administrative (mostly correspondence, some reports), 1958, 1963-1977 Series II: Speeches (includes some reports and essays), 1971-1977 Series III: John Diefenbaker material, 1966-1979. Subseries A: Correspondence Subseries B: Photographs Subseries C: Promotional material Series IV: Sean O’Sullivan supplemental material, 1965-1995 Subseries A: Correspondence Subseries B: News clippings Subseries C: Programs Subseries D: Photographs Subseries E: Cassette tapes RG 431 page 4 Common Acronyms: AIB: Anti-Inflation Board CBC: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency CMHC: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation CPP: Canada Pension Plan CRTC: Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission DREE: Department of Regional Economic Expansion GIS: Guaranteed Income Supplement H & W: Health & Welfare IT & C: Industry, Trade & Commerce LIP: Local Initiatives Program MP: Member of Parliament MPP: Member of Provincial Parliament NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization NDP: New Democrat Party OAP: Old Age Pension OAS: Old Age Security OFY: Opportunities for Youth OHIP: Ontario Health Insurance Plan PC: Progressive Conservative UIC: Unemployment Insurance Commission RG 431 page 5 WCB: Worker’s Compensation Board YPC: Young Progressive Conservative Inventory: Series I. Administrative, 1958, 1963-1977 1.1 Personal correspondence sent (congratulations), 1972-73. P-03-C 1.2 Personal correspondence sent (mostly condolences), 1973. P-03-S 1.3 Housing—Ontario (1973). Correspondence. A-40-3 1.4 WCB (Workers Compensation Board), 1973. Correspondence. A-40-2 1.5 Ontario, 1973. Correspondence. A-40 1.6 OHIP, 1972-1973. Correspondence. A-40-4 1.7 Ontario, 1973. Correspondence. C-40 1.8 Ontario, 1973. Correspondence. A-40 1.9 Ontario, 1973. Correspondence. A-40 1.10 Water levels, 1973. Correspondence. A-40-5 1.11 Ontario & Local, 1973. Correspondence. A-41 2.1 Regional & Local, 1972-1973. Correspondence. C-41 2.2 Bell Canada, 1972-1973. Correspondence. C-60 2.3 Invitations Accepted, 1972-1973. Correspondence. P-02-A 2.4 Invitations Declined, 1972-1973. Correspondence. P-02-D 2.5 Invitations Declined, 1973. Correspondence. P-02-D RG 431 page 6 2.6 Weekly Column, Feb.-Dec. 1973 (Reports from Ottawa by Sean O’Sullivan).P-19 2.7 Office & Staff, 1972-1973. Correspondence. P-18 2.8 Great Lakes, 1973-1975. Contains mostly correspondence, some press releases and some reports/papers. X-07-1 2.9 St. Lawrence Seaway, 1973-1975. Contains correspondence and one press release. X-07-2 2.10-2.11 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Includes media releases (1974-1976), newspaper and magazine clippings (1973-1975) and various reports & papers, including: Report of Tolls Committee, 1958 (St. Lawrence Seaway Authority) Water Quality Act, Canada-U.S., 1972. A Summary of Facts about the Economics of Water Transportation on the St. Lawrence Seaway, Welland Canal and Great Lakes System (Great Lakes Waterways Development Association), 1973. Remarks by Stuart Armour, President and General Manager, Great Lakes Waterways Development Association, before the Niagara Falls Rotary Club, April 23, 1974. The St. Lawrence Seaway: Draft background paper for the Progressive Conservative Party, April 1974. Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, May 4, 1976. Extension of the Navigation