Message from Art Milnes: today I am pleased to lend this space to another distinguished Guest Contributor, my friend -- and, yes, another fellow political history junkie -- Steve Paikin.  Today he marks the date on which Harry Nixon became Premier of Ontario.------By Steve Paikin, Guest Contributor for Art's History.I've spoken to Harry Nixon's son Robert numerous times about his dad, who was also his political hero.Harry took over the premiership in 1943, when the Ontario Liberals were in turmoil.  Premier Mitch Hepburn had resigned in a huff, after 8 years at the helm.  Before leaving, he asked his attorney-general Gordon Conant to take over, which he did.Then, when Conant ran for the permanent job at the Ontario Liberal Party's leadership convention, he got sick and had to drop out.  Harry Nixon won the leadership, but by that point, the province had gone six years without an election, in part because of World War II.  Nixon thought fairness and democracy obligated him to go to the polls, which he did.Turned out, the Liberals' turmoil caught up with them.  The voters sent them packing into third place and Nixon became the shortest-serving Ontario premier ever --- just 91 days.  However, he continued to serve as an opposition MPP for nearly another two decades, until his death.  He remains the longest-serving member of the legislature in Ontario history, having been an MPP from 1919 to 1961.Fittingly, he was succeeded as the MPP for Brant by his son Robert, and Harry's granddaughter, Jane Stewart became the representative for Brant at the federal level, as an MP (and later a cabinet minister) in Jean Chretien's government.  Three generations of Nixons in public life, but it all started with Harry Corwin Nixon, a gentleman and a farmer from Brant County.[caption id="attachment_559051" align="aligncenter" width="175"] Portrait of Harry Nixon, former Premier of Ontario[/caption]Steve Paikin, anchor of TVO's The Agenda With Steve Paikin, is a veteran journalist known particularly for his coverage of politics. Respected by partisans of all stripes, he has served as the moderator for numerous federal and provincial televised election debates. A serious student of Ontario political history, Steve's books include biographies of past Ontario Premiers John Robarts and Bill Davis.