John Ormrod Livesey (November 6, 1911 – July 12, 2005) was a Canadian politician, who served on the Yukon Territorial Council from 1958 to 1964 and from 1967 to 1970."Commissioner's awards to Livesey, Mills". Whitehorse Star, October 21, 1980. He represented the district of Carmacks-Kluane, and served as Speaker of the Council.
Born in Manchester, England, Livesey moved to Canada in his youth. After serving in the military during World War II he settled in Beaver Creek, Yukon, where he operated a general store with his wife Freda.Dan Davidson, "John Ormrod Livesey: One of a kind". Whitehorse Star, July 22, 2005. He won election to his first term on the Yukon Territorial Council in the 1958 Yukon general election,"Council Named In Monday Vote". Whitehorse Star, September 11, 1958. and was named as speaker in October."John Livesey Name speaker". Whitehorse Star, October 16, 1958. In 1959 he presided over the official opening of the Yukon River Bridge at Carmacks."John Livesey Speaks At Yukon River Bridge Opening". Whitehorse Star, September 3, 1959. He was reelected to a second term in office in the 1961 Yukon general election, and to a second term as council speaker."Collins Sees New Yukon Era". Whitehorse Star, November 2, 1961.
He was defeated by Bob MacKinnon in the 1964 Yukon general election."Yukon Election Upset As Speaker Defeated". Edmonton Journal, September 10, 1964. In 1965, he denied a rumour that he was planning to run as a Social Credit Party of Canada candidate in the 1965 Canadian federal election."Not A Candidate". Whitehorse Star, September 23, 1965. Livesey defeated MacKinnon in the 1967 Yukon general election to reclaim the seat,"Voters in Yukon elect new council". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, September 12, 1967. and was again selected as speaker."Council Coming Of Age". Whitehorse Star, November 6, 1967.
He was defeated by Hilda Watson in the 1970 Yukon general election."New Faces On Yukon Council". Ottawa Journal, September 9, 1970.
In the subsequent 1974 Yukon general election he ran against Watson in the new district of Kluane, but was not successful."Yukon vote: Voters elect largest council ever". Ottawa Citizen, November 19, 1974. He then challenged the validity of Watson's election on the basis of allegations that 26 ineligible voters had cast ballots in the district; although it was impossible to determine which way the invalid votes had been cast, the result was in doubt because the number exceeded Watson's 17-vote margin of victory."Watson Election Challenged". Whitehorse Star, January 13, 1975. Watson resigned the seat and recontested it in a by-election, in which Livesey ran as her main challenger; Watson won the by-election."Seats filled". Red Deer Advocate, November 5, 1975.
Livesey ran for office one more time in the 1978 Yukon general election, the territory's first conventionally partisan election to the new Legislative Assembly of Yukon, as an independent candidate in Kluane. He was not elected, as he and Watson both lost to Yukon Liberal Party candidate Alice McGuire."Watson Cries Foul". Whitehorse Star, November 28, 1978.
Following Freda Livesey's death in 1979, John Livesey moved to Comox, British Columbia in 1983. He lived there until his death in 2005."Ex-speaker of Yukon 'ruled the chamber'". Victoria Times-Colonist, July 26, 2005.
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