DUNCAN EDMONDS

'Duncan Edmonds' (1936-) is a Canadian businessman and politician. In 1969, he unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party.
Edmonds was born in Toronto, Ontario, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 1959. He became a Dean of Residence at Carleton University, and worked for the Canadian Peace Corps and Crossroads Africa in the 1960s. He also worked as an assistant to Lester Pearson, and chaired Paul Martin Sr.'s leadership campaign in 1968.
Although Edmonds had no legislative experience, he was the primary opposition to Robert Bend at the 1969 Liberal convention. Bend's supporters came primarily from the party establishment; Edmonds was supported primarily by its youth wing.
Despite a flashy entrance (which included a trumpet fanfare from a trio of musicians in fifteenth-century garb), Edmonds received only 483 votes against 877 for Bend (the two other candidates finished well behind). Some youth delegates were seen burning their membership cards after Bend's victory was announced.
Edmonds ran in the Winnipeg-area riding of Charleswood in the 1969 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Arthur Moug by over a thousand votes.
Edmonds retired from active politics after this loss. He continued to work in the field of international development, and wrote a book on Canada-United States relations in the mid-1980s. He was later named Vice Chairman of the McRae Group of Companies, a real estate and development firm.