Gordon Benjamin Isnor

The Hon. Gordon Benjamin Isnor
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
In office 1928–1935
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Halifax
In office 1935–1950 Serving with Robert Emmett Finn (1935–1940) William Chisholm Macdonald (1940-1947) John Dickey (1947-1950)
Preceded by	Felix Patrick Quinn William Anderson Black
Succeeded by	Samuel Rosborough Balcom
Senator for Halifax-Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
In office 1950–1973
Appointed by	Louis St. Laurent
Personal details
Born	(1885-05-10)10 May 1885 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Died	17 March 1973(1973-03-17) (aged 87)
Political party	Liberal
Committees	Chair, Special Committee on War Expenditures and Economies (1946) Chair, Standing Committee on Tourist Traffic (1955-1965)

Gordon Benjamin Isnor (10 May 1885 – 17 March 1973) was a Canadian merchant and parliamentarian.

A Liberal, he was elected four consecutive times to the House of Commons of Canada as the Member of Parliament representing the Nova Scotia electoral district of Halifax. He was first elected in the Canadian federal election of 1935, and was re-elected in 1940, 1945, and 1949.

On 28 July 1955, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the recommendation of Louis St-Laurent, and represented the senatorial division of Halifax-Dartmouth until his death.

Outside of his political life, Isnor was a successful Halifax businessman and operated a chain of clothing stores bearing his name in Nova Scotia. A street in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia was named after him, as well a senior citizens home in Halifax, the Gordon B. Isnor Manor.

Electoral record

1949 Canadian federal election: Halifax
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Elected
	Liberal	Gordon Benjamin Isnor	33,401	29.33		Y
	Liberal	John Horace Dickey	31,627	27.77	+5.28	Y
	Progressive Conservative	Joseph Patrick Connolly	18,826	16.53
	Progressive Conservative	Frederick William Bissett	18,223	16.00
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Hyacinth Lawrence MacIntosh	6,018	5.28
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Lloyd R. Shaw	5,777	5.07	-3.44
Total valid votes			113,872	99.71
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots			329	0.29
Turnout				≥62.88	+1.30
Eligible voters			90,803
	Liberal notional hold		Swing		+2.45

^ Individual swings calculated from 1945 election. Party swing calculated from 1947 by-election.

1945 Canadian federal election: Halifax
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Elected
	Liberal	Gordon Benjamin Isnor	26,407	25.15	+3.25	Y
	Liberal	William Chisholm MacDonald	23,616	22.49	-2.45	Y
	Progressive Conservative	Henry P. MacKeen	18,182	17.31
	Progressive Conservative	Gerald Dwyer	18,037	17.18
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Lloyd R. Shaw	8,937	8.51
	Co-operative Commonwealth	R. Leo Rooney	8,783	8.36
	Labor–Progressive	R. Charles Murray	560	0.53
	Independent	O.R. Regan	488	0.46
Total valid votes			105,010	100.00
Turnout				≥61.58	-3.15
Eligible voters			85,262
	Liberal notional hold		Swing		+3.65

1940 Canadian federal election: Halifax
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Elected
	Liberal	William Chisholm MacDonald	22,089	24.94		Y
	Liberal	Gordon Benjamin Isnor	19,398	21.90	-6.28	Y
	National Government	Richard A. Donahoe	18,197	20.54
	National Government	Charles B. Smith	18,114	20.45
	Independent Liberal	Robert Emmett Finn	9,217	10.41	-16.78
	Co-operative Commonwealth	Helgi I.S. Borgford	1,561	1.76
Total valid votes			88,576	100.00
Turnout				≥64.73	-6.13
Eligible voters			68,422
	Liberal notional hold		Swing		-9.09

1935 Canadian federal election: Halifax
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Elected
	Liberal	Gordon Benjamin Isnor	24,158	28.18		Y
	Liberal	Robert Emmett Finn	23,312	27.19		Y
	Conservative	Robert D. Guilford	13,624	15.89
	Conservative	Louis A. Gastonguay	13,250	15.45
	Reconstruction	John Furlong	6,307	7.36
	Reconstruction	John Joseph Power	5,091	5.94
Total valid votes			85,742	100.00
Turnout				≥70.86	-5.82
Eligible voters			60,503
	Liberal notional gain from Conservative		Swing		+14.63