candidate in the race to become the party's permanent leader, and accordingly resigned as interim leader on November 19, 1991. Jim Bradley took his place until the leadership convention. Elston quickly became the favourite to win the 1992 race, gaining endorsements from such high-profile figures as Peterson, Ian Scott, and Sheila Copps. He led voting for the first four ballots, but lost to Lyn McLeod on the fifth and final ballot by only nine votes. The number of spoiled ballots from supporters of third-place candidate Greg Sorbara was greater than McLeod's margin of victory. Some political observers speculated that Elston appeared too much like a holdover from the Peterson era, as a time when the Liberal Party wanted to present a new image to voters. Opposition Elston remained in the legislature for two more years, and served as Opposition House Leader before resigning as an MPP on October 31, 1994 to enter the private sector. He was touted as McLeod's likely replacement when she resigned as Liberal leader following a poor performance in the 1995 provincial election but he declined to enter the race preferring to remain out of politics. In 1996, he was the most prominent supporter of Dalton McGuinty's ultimately successful bid to win the party's leadership. After politics From November 1994 until 1997, Elston was president of the Ontario Interlink Industrial Park. From January to October 1998, he worked for Engergreen Solutions Group. In November 1998, Elston was appointed president of Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D). From 2004 to 2009, Elston was president of the Canadian Nuclear Association, in order to lobby the Premier's office on behalf of the nuclear industry. As a former Liberal MPP, he had represented the riding of Huron-Bruce, which is home to the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. Elston's lobbying was highly successful: on June 13, 2006, the McGuinty government announcement its commitment to rebuild all of Ontario's ageing nuclear stations as well as the construction of new reactors. He served as vice-president of corporate affairs for Bruce Power from 2009 until 2011. References External links 1949 births Leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party Living people Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs University of Western Ontario alumni Western Law School alumni People from Wingham, Ontario