“The Rainmaker” Senator Keith Davey

On my fall walk through Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, I came across the grave of a man who clearly loved his party, his politics, his family, and his country — Senator Keith Davey.

Davey’s career began in broadcasting. From 1949 to 1960, he worked as sales manager for CKFH, a Toronto radio station owned and managed by the legendary broadcaster Foster Hewitt. CKFH was also the station that carried all Toronto Maple Leafs games. In later years, it became 1430 The Fan, Toronto’s first all-sports radio station.

But it was politics that made Keith Davey a national figure. Known as “the rainmaker” for his remarkable political instincts and winning strategies, he rose to prominence in the early 1960s, when he went to Ottawa to help bring the Liberal Party out of the opposition wilderness and back into government. He played key roles in every federal Liberal campaign up to and including 1984, working with three prime ministers: Lester B. Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, and John Turner.

Davey and the Liberal Party were pioneers in Canada in the use of polling and advertising — now cornerstones of modern political campaigning. One suspects, though, that Davey might not have appreciated how these tools have since evolved into personal attacks between parties.

In recognition of his contributions and influence, Prime Minister Lester Pearson appointed him to the Senate in 1966 — a crowning achievement in a life devoted to politics and public service.

Senator Douglas Keith Davey passed away in Toronto on January 17, 2011, at the age of 84.

1926–2011