About James Greene
Lived 1928 – 2014 (aged 86). James Greene was a Canadian lawyer and politician.
James Joseph Louis (Jim) Greene (June 15, 1928 – November 4, 2014) was the Newfoundland and Labrador's Opposition Leader from 1960 to 1965 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland. He led the party through the 1962 provincial election in which the party increased its seat total in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 3 to 7, more than doubling them, and its share of the popular vote from 25% to 36%. The result was not enough to prevent the Liberal government of Joey Smallwood from returning to power with a substantial majority government. Greene was called to the bar of England and Wales in 1953 and practised law in London for several months, returning to Newfoundland in September of that year. He was called to the Newfoundland bar in October 1953. He was a 31-year-old lawyer when he was first elected to the legislature in the riding of what was then called St. John's East during the 1959 provincial election by defeating incumbent James D. Higgins, leader of the United Newfoundland Party which had broken away from the Tories prior to the election. Prior to being elected, Greene was counsel to the International Woodworkers of America's Newfoundland local. The election also saw the defeat of Conservative leader Malcolm Mercer Hollett after Smallwood personally unseated him run in his St. John's West riding.
Greene stepped down as party leader on January 14, 1966, and Noel Murphy was chosen acting leader. Greene did not run for the legislature in the 1966 provincial election and returned to his law practice. In 1967, during the federal Progressive Conservative leadership election, he supported the candidacy of E. Davie Fulton.
He served as chair of the board of regents for Memorial University, as a director for Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation and as president of the Kiwanis Club of St. John's. Greene's father Joseph served in the Newfoundland House of Assembly from 1928 to 1932. His great uncle, Daniel Joseph Greene, was Premier of the Colony Newfoundland from 1894 to 1895.
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Important facts
People in James Greene's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped James Greene's
Frequently asked questions
Who was James Greene?
Canadian politician
When was James Greene born?
James Greene was born on 15 June 1928.
When did James Greene die?
James Greene died on 4 November 2014.
What was James Greene's occupation?
James Greene was a lawyer and politician.
What nationality was James Greene?
James Greene was Canadian.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: James Greene (Canadian politician)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). James Greene. https://biography.guide/james-greene-lawyer/
MLA: "James Greene." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/james-greene-lawyer/.
Chicago: "James Greene." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/james-greene-lawyer/.
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