In 1961,
Hugh John Flemming left his Carleton County seat and ran successfully in the federal seat of
Royal. Fred, then president of Carleton County PC Association, offered the nomination to Richard, who accepted. He ran against his brother-in-law Gerald Clark, and won easily with a majority of 1,736 votes. Years later, he recalled that his father's reputation "had helped me to be elected, and now I was on my own." When the New Brunswick Legislature was not sitting, Hatfield sold potato chips all over the Maritimes. His first few years as an MLA were uneventful, but he spent a lot of time talking to reporters about politics in Fredericton and Montreal. He became
Leader of the Opposition and interim leader of the
Progressive Conservatives after the
1967 general election and was
elected party leader in 1969 after defeating former leader
Charles Van Horne. He led the party to victory in the
1970 provincial election. During Hatfield's long tenure, he became prominent on the national stage by allying with
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during the constitutional negotiations that led to the 1982
patriation of the
Canadian constitution and the creation of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also took leadership in helping create equality between the province's Francophone
Acadian minority and Anglophone majority. His attempts at attracting investment to the province and developing the economy were less successful. In the 1970s, the Hatfield government financed the manufacture of the
Bricklin SV-1 in hope of creating an auto industry in the province. Although the visionary project produced an advanced sports car, huge cost overruns and poor management led to the company's demise.
Controversies and resignation Hatfield's last years in office were plagued by personal scandal. On September 25, 1984, the
RCMP found 35 grams of
marijuana in his suitcase during a security check of luggage conducted before a flight from Fredericton to Moncton during a
royal visit by Queen
Elizabeth II. On January 29, 1985, Hatfield was acquitted by Judge Andrew Harrigan after a two-day trial. Harrigan sparked legal furor after he suggested that a journalist might have planted the drugs to create "the juiciest story ever to crack the media." Several days after the acquittal, allegations emerged that Hatfield had invited four young men to an all-night party in his Fredericton home in 1981. The men accused Hatfield of giving them marijuana and of using
cocaine during the evening. They also alleged that Hatfield flew them to Montreal aboard a government aircraft and put them up in a downtown hotel for the night. Hatfield denied the allegations and stated, "It is true that they were in my home together with others, some four years ago. However, they were strangers to me. Those who know me will confirm I am extremely gregarious. I meet and talk to people on the street, in the markets and the shops, in the restaurants and bars. I invite them to my house, I go to their houses. The door to my house is usually unlocked and frequently open. That is my way. I admit I am unconventional." No legal action was taken. In the
1987 election, Hatfield's PC Party lost every seat in the legislature, a wipeout on a scale that had not been seen in Canada in over half a century. Hatfield was soundly defeated in his own riding by the Liberal,
Allison DeLong, and lost by 18 points. Hatfield resigned as
Premier of New Brunswick and as party leader. == Later years and death ==