Winning Six Successive Elections to the House of Commons
His father immigrated to
Canada from Spili Vrisi, Greece, in 1920, to enter the restaurant business
and earn enough money to send for his wife and only son as soon as the
necessary funds became available. When his family came to Canada in 1925,
their destination was Guelph, Ontario. There young Gus Mitges proceeded
with his education, graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College as Doctor
of Medicine (D.V.M.), 1942. With a successful veterinary practice in Owen
Sound, Ontario, Gus Mitges was urged to throw his hat into the political
arena. Elected to the House of Commons in 1972 as a Progressive Conservative,
it was the first of six successive elections he would win. For harmonizing
relationships between his native land, Greece, and his adopted country,
Canada, Gus, in 1995, was made Commander of the Order of the Phoenix, the
highest civilian award given out by the Government of Greece. In this 1985
view, in his 14th year as a Member of Parliament, Gus confers with the
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Brian
Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada. [Photo, courtesy Dr. Gus Mitges]