Charles Van Horne

Joseph Charles Van Horne (January 3, 1921 – August 27, 2003) was a politician in New Brunswick, Canada, and the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick between 1966 and 1967.

A lawyer and hotel owner in the Campbellton area, Van Horne ran for the federal Progressive Conservatives in the riding of Restigouche-Madawaska in a 1955 by-election following the death of Liberal Member of Parliament Joseph Gaspard Boucher. Van Horne won the election, breaking a 22-year Liberal hold on the riding.

While in Parliament, Van Horne successfully lobbied the federal and provincial governments to build a bridge between Campbellton and Pointe-à-la-Croix, Québec. The bridge opened in October 1961 and is currently named for him.

In 1966, after the resignation of Cyril Sherwood, Van Horne successfully ran for leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party. In the 1967 provincial election, Liberal Premier Louis Robichaud was re-elected, and Van Horne resigned as Conservative leader. He attempted to regain the leadership at the 1969 party leadership convention but lost to Richard Hatfield.

Van Horne remained in the Legislative Assembly and served as Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of Richard Hatfield between 1970 and 1972 when he was fired from cabinet for going over budget. In 1975, he left politics entirely after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe over the purchase of park lands and receiving a two-year suspended sentence.