John Savage (politician)
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Dr. John Patrick Savage, OC, ONS, MD, LL.D, (May 28, 1932—May 13, 2003) was premier of Nova Scotia, Canada between 1993 and 1997.
Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, and keeping his Welsh accent to the end, Savage guaduated from The Queen's University of Belfast and practiced as a Medical doctor in Newport until he emigrated to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 1967. He made a name for himself as the "hippie doctor" in the 1970s, setting up a detox centre, and a free clinic in the disadvantaged community of North Preston.
After unsuccessful tries as a Liberal Party candidate in two federal elections, he became mayor of his hometown of Dartmouth in 1985. While mayor, he received a reputation as a left-wing free spender.
In 1992, Savage decided to try his hand at provincial politics, running for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. Winning on the second ballot, Savage then defeated Donald Cameron and the governing Progressive Conservatives in the 1993 provincial election winning 40 of the Legislature 52 seats.
During his term as Premier, Savage, adopted the tone of his predecessor, Donald Cameron, and took a tough fiscal conservative stance. In doing so, he cut social spending and cut the wages of civil servants. The Savage government adopted a P-3 approach to build a toll highway that later proved successful and the merger municipalities to create the Halifax Regional Municipality, and the Harmonized Sales Tax were initiated under his watch.
His Government also led the country in the creation of tougher anti-smoking legislation, the establishment of modern emergency health services and emergency field communications systems, and waged a tough and ultimately successful fight against patronage in the provincial highways system.
Savage's detractors labelled him as inexperienced and stubborn. Increasingly facing discontent from within his own party over some of his anti-patronage policies, he resigned as premier in 1997.
After Savage resigned, he built hospitals and schools in Africa.
In 2001, he admitted he had stomach cancer, which spread throughout his body until his death on May 13, 2003. Just three days before his death, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He died in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
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| Preceded by Donald W. Cameron |
Premier of Nova Scotia 1993-1997 |
Succeeded by Russell MacLellan |
| Premiers of Nova Scotia |  |
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|---|---|---|
| Colonial: Uniacke | Young | Johnston | Young | Howe | Johnston | Tupper
Provincial: | Tupper | Blanchard | Annand | Hill | Holmes | Thompson | Pipes | Fielding | Murray | Armstrong | Rhodes | Harrington | Macdonald | MacMillan | Macdonald | Connolly | Hicks | Stanfield | Smith | Regan | Buchanan | Bacon | Cameron | Savage | MacLellan | Hamm | MacDonald |
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Categories: Welsh people stubs | 1932 births | Welsh immigrants to Canada | Alumni of Queen's University Belfast | Welsh doctors | People from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia | Canadian physicians | Roman Catholic politicians | Nova Scotia MLAs | Nova Scotia Liberal MLAs | Nova Scotia premiers | Officers of the Order of Canada | Members of the Order of Nova Scotia | Stomach cancer deaths | People from Newport | 2003 deaths
