Ellen Fairclough
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration | |
---|---|
In office May 12, 1958 – August 8, 1962 | |
Prime Minister | John Diefenbaker |
Preceded by | Davie Fulton (acting) |
Succeeded by | Dick Bell |
Secretary of State for Canada | |
In office June 21, 1957 – May 11, 1958 | |
Prime Minister | John Diefenbaker |
Preceded by | Roch Pinard |
Succeeded by | Henri Courtemanche |
Member of Parliament for Hamilton West | |
In office May 15, 1950 – February 6, 1963 | |
Preceded by | Colin Gibson |
Succeeded by | Joseph Macaluso |
Personal details | |
Born | Ellen Louks Cook January 28, 1905 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
Died | November 13, 2004 Dundas, Ontario, Canada | (aged 99)
Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Spouse |
Gordon Fairclough
(m. 1931; died 1997) |
Children | 1 |
Profession | Accountant |
Ellen Louks Fairclough
Early life and career
Fairclough was born Ellen Louks Cook on January 28, 1905, in Hamilton, Ontario, to Norman Ellsworth and Nellie Bell (née Loucks) Cook. Fairclough was a chartered accountant by training, and ran an accounting firm prior to entering politics.[3] She also served as a member of the executive for the Girl Guides of Canada prior to her election as a Member of Parliament.[4]
Political career
Fairclough's political career began as a member of
As a Member of Parliament, she advocated women's rights including equal pay for equal work.[2]
When the PC Party took power as a result of the
Fairclough was also named as
Toward the end of her term in office, Fairclough sought an appointment to the Senate of Canada, but was not appointed.[2]
She was defeated in the
Life after politics
Fairclough was defeated in her bid for re-election in the 1963 election.[2] She subsequently worked for the Hamilton Trust and Savings Corporation as a senior executive, as well as being chairperson of Hamilton Hydro.[2]
In 1979, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and was promoted to Companion in 1994.[7] In 1989, she was the recipient of the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Person's Case.[8] In the fall of 1996, she received the Order of Ontario, the highest honour awarded by the province.
Fairclough was active in the Consumers Association of Canada, the Girl Guides, the I.O.D.E., the Y.W.C.A., the United Empire Loyalist Association, and the Zonta Club of Hamilton and Zonta International, before, during and after her stay in office. In 1982, the Ontario government office tower on the corner of MacNab and King Streets in Hamilton was officially named the Ellen Fairclough Building.
In recognition of her status as a pioneering
At the
In 1995, she published her memoirs, Saturday's Child: Memoirs of Canada's First Female Cabinet Minister.[2]
She died at St. Joseph's Villa, a nursing home in Dundas, Ontario, on November 13, 2004. She was 99.[9] Her husband Gordon and son Howard both predeceased her.
On June 21, 2005, Canada Post issued a postage stamp in honour of Fairclough.[10]
Archives
The Ellen Louks Fairclough fonds is at Library and Archives Canada.[11]
References
- ^ "The Appointment of Ellen Fairclough as Canada's First Female Cabinet Minister". Diefenbaker Canada Centre. University of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Ellen Louks Fairclough: Canada's First Female Federal Cabinet Minister". Electoral Insight. March 2003. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-4875-9842-6.
- ^ "Collections Canada – Celebrating Women's Achievements".
- ISBN 978-0-8108-7504-3.
- ^ "As Acting Prime Minister Ellen Fairclough First Again". The Globe and Mail, February 21, 1958.
- ^ Order of Canada citation
- ^ "Governor General Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case - Status of Women Canada". cfc-swc.gc.ca. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ "Ellen FAIRCLOUGH Obituary". legacy.com. August 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Stamp image rpsc.org
- ^ "Ellen Louks Fairclough fonds, Library and Archives Canada". July 20, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2020.