Morris Gray
Morris Abraham Gray (May 16, 1889
Biography
Gray was born to Abraham and Sara Gur-Arie, a
Gray was a founder of the Canadian Jewish Congress, and at one stage served as its national Vice-President. He also became a member of the Mount Sinai Masonic Lodge and the Jewish Children's Aid Society,[2] and was an Executive Member of the Canada Club.
Gray served as a member of the Winnipeg School Board from 1926 to 1930, and was an
The 1941 election took place in a period of reduced support for the provincial CCF. The party had joined an all-party coalition government the previous year, with Farmer serving as
. The alliance proved disastrous for the CCF, who regularly saw their initiatives thwarted by the other parties. The demoralized party won only three seats in the entire province. After the alliance ended in 1943, Gray played a prominent role in rebuilding the CCF's organization.The CCF performed much more strongly in the 1945 general election, winning four seats in Winnipeg: Farmer (who topped the poll), Gray (who finished sixth), Lloyd Stinson and Donovan Swailes. The party was unable to match this success in the rest of the province, however, and remained in opposition.
In the
Manitoba adopted a system of single-member constituencies for Winnipeg in the mid-1950s, and Gray (despite his strong objection to the new system) was easily elected for the riding of
Gray's final election, in 1962, was the closest of his career, as he defeated Liberal candidate John Shanski by fewer than 600 votes. He died shortly before the election of 1966, and his riding was subsequently won by Sidney Green of the NDP.[1]
Gray was respected by members of all parties for his advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged. He frequently used the phrase, "I know mine is a voice in the wilderness" in his parliamentary orations. Among the causes he championed were a provincial labour code, health insurance, child welfare legislation, mother's allowances and old age pensions. His appeals for supplementary aid for old-age pensioners were turned down fourteen years in a row by the governments of
He died in Winnipeg at the age of 76.[2]
Morris Gray was the uncle of Gerald B. Gray, a Manitoba businessman, philanthropist and community leader.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "MLA Biographies - Deceased". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30.
- ^ a b c d e "Morris A. Gray (1887-1966)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ^ "M.A. Gray Named Manitoba's Citizen Of Year". The Canadian Jewish Chronicle. January 16, 1959. p. 2. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
- ^ Memorable Manitobans: Morris A. Gray (1887-1966)
External links
- "Gray, Morris Abraham". Canadian Jewish Heritage Network. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2013-04-24.