Peter J. Cashin

Cashin, Peter J.

Peter J. Cashin, politician, businessman, soldier (b at Cape Broyle, Nfld 8 Mar 1890; d at St John's 21 May 1977). He joined the Newfoundland Regiment in 1915, served overseas and in March 1918 was promoted major in command of the British Machine Gun Corp. After the war he joined the family business. In 1923 he first won election to the Assembly as a Liberal-Labour-Progressive. Crossing to the Liberals in 1925, he was re-elected in 1928 and was minister of finance 1928-32. A consistent opponent of the COMMISSION OF GOVERNMENT, Cashin was elected as one of the 3 delegates for St John's West in the National Convention vote in 1946. Subsequently, he emerged as strongly anti-Confederate and the leader of the Responsible Government advocates at the convention.

After Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949, Cashin ran provincially and was elected as an Independent. He was later recruited by the Progressive Conservative Party and served as leader of the PC Opposition until 1953, when he retired from active politics. He was director of civil defence for Newfoundland from 1954 until his retirement in the mid-1960s.