Editing John Robarts (section)

==Early political career==
Robarts practiced law in London, Ontario, and was elected to city council in 1948. In 1951, he was elected as a [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada)|member of provincial parliament]] (MPP) to the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]], as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] (PC) from the city. In that era, MPPs not in cabinet were essentially working part-time due to relatively light legislative duties. Robarts commuted by train from the Queen's Park legislature in [[Toronto]], the provincial capital, to his family and law practice in London, effectively combining his legislative work with his legal career. His wife Norah disliked Toronto and remained at home in London for most of their marriage. The couple raised two children.<ref name="McDougall">''Robarts'', by A. K. McDougall, 1985</ref>

He entered the [[Executive Council of Ontario|cabinet]] of [[Leslie Frost]] in 1958 as [[minister without portfolio]], and was promoted to [[Ministry of Education (Ontario)|minister of education]] in 1959. The province was in the midst of a major building phase with its education system, to accommodate an enormous increase in enrollment following the [[Baby Boomer]] generation of the post-[[World War II]] era, and Robarts played an important role as education minister, with the establishment of new institutions such as [[York University]].<ref name="McDougall" />