BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Lincoln Alexander
| The Honourable Lincoln Alexander PC CC OOnt CD QC | |
|---|---|
| 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario | |
| In office September 20, 1985 – December 10, 1991 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Jeanne Sauvé Ray Hnatyshyn |
| Premier | David Peterson Bob Rae |
| Preceded by | John Black Aird |
| Succeeded by | Hal Jackman |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980 | |
| Prime Minister | Joe Clark |
| Preceded by | Martin O'Connell |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Regan |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Hamilton West | |
| In office June 25, 1968 – May 28, 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Macaluso |
| Succeeded by | Stanley Hudecki |
| Constituency | Hamilton West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lincoln MacCauley Alexander January 21, 1922 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died | October 19, 2012 (aged 90) Hamilton, Ontario |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Yvonne Harrison (1948–1999, her death) Marni Beal (2011–2012)[1] |
| Children | Keith Alexander[1] |
| Residence | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Occupation | Barrister and solicitor |
| Religion | Baptist |
Lincoln MacCauley Alexander, PC CC OOnt CD QC (January 21, 1922 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian politician and statesman who served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, the federal Minister of Labour, and later as the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, from 1985 to 1991. Alexander was also a governor of the Canadian Unity Council.
Early life
Alexander was born in a row house on Draper Street[2] in Toronto, Ontario, to Mae Rose, who migrated from Jamaica, and Lincoln Alexander, Sr., a porter on the Canadian Pacific Railway who came to Canada from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.[3][4] Alexander went to Earl Grey Public School and Riverdale Collegiate.[3] As a teen Alexander moved to Harlem with his older half-brother Ridley and his mother after she was the victim of a violent altercation with his father.[3] In New York he went to DeWitt Clinton High School, but returned to Canada in 1939.[3] He first distinguished himself in service to Canada in the Royal Canadian Air Force during theSecond World War. After the war Alexander completed his studies at Hamilton Central Collegiate and then to McMaster University in 1946 to study economics and history.[3] Alexander graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1953.[5] He then practiced law in Hamilton with the firms Okuloski & Okuloski; Duncan & Alexander; and Millar, Alexander, Tokiwa & Issacs.
Politics
In 1968, Alexander ran in the Canadian federal election as the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the Hamilton West electoral district. He won, becoming Canada's first black Member of Parliament. He held the seat through four successive elections until stepping down in 1980.[6]
While in office, he spoke to the press about then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's alleged profanity in the fuddle duddle incident and was an observer to the United Nations in 1976 and 1978. In the brief government headed by Joe Clark from 1979 to 1980, Alexander served as Minister of Labour. He resigned his seat in 1980 to serve as chairman of the Ontario Worker's Compensation Board.
Viceregal service
In 1985, on the advice of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Governor General Jeanne Sauvé appointed Alexander as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He became the first black person to serve in a viceregal position in Canada. (James Douglas, who was of mixed descent, was Governor of Vancouver Island and of British Columbia prior to Canadian Confederation when these were British colonies with no connection to the Canadas.) During his appointment, he focused attention on education, racism and youth issues.[3]
Later life and death
In 1992, Alexander was appointed to the Order of Ontario. He also became a Companion of the Order of Canada. From 1991 to 2007, he served as Chancellor of the University of Guelph. His term exceeded that of any of his predecessors, and he assumed the office of Chancellor Emeritus.
In 2000, Alexander was named Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, where he remained an active spokesman on race relations and veterans' issues. Until the time of his death, he was the Honorary Patron of the Hamilton, Ontario branch of St. John Ambulance, as well as Honorary Chief of the Hamilton Police Service.
In November 2006, his autobiography Go to School, You're a Little Black Boy: The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander: A Memoir was published.[7]
Alexander died in his sleep on the morning of October 19, 2012, at the age of 90.[8] The national and provincial flags outside the Ontario Legislative Building were flown at half-mast and tributes were given by various viceroys and politicians.[8][9][10] His body lay in state, first inside the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park, followed by Hamilton City Hall.[8][11] He is survived by his son Keith Lincoln Alexander from his marriage to his first wife Yvonne Harrison (predeceased in 1999).[1] Also survived by daughter-in-law Joyce Alexander and grandchildren Erika and Marissa Alexander, and second-wife Marni Beal. [12]
Alexander was accorded a state funeral with the co-operation of thousands of officials, both Provincial and Federal, and Police Services across Canada, featuring the Burlington Teen Tour Band and Police Pipe and Drum band, and was conducted at Hamilton Place and attended by 1,500 people including the Mayor of Hamilton Bob Bratina, former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, current Premier Kathleen Wynne, former Premier David Peterson, Governor General David Johnston, former Governor General Michaëlle Jean, former lieutenant governor Hillary Weston, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister Joe Clark and federal cabinet minister Julian Fantino, His Honour David Onley, current lieutenant governor of Ontario and Dr. Alastair Summerlee, President of the University of Guelph, and Dr. Peter George, former President of MacMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Also attending were the Chairman of the Raptors Foundation and publisher of the daily Hamilton newspaper, The Spectator. [13][14]The Province of Ontario proclaimed January 21. as Lincoln Alexander Day in Ontario. It became law in December 2013. As of December 3, 2014, Lincoln Alexander Day January 21, Lincoln's birthday, is now recognized officially as Lincoln Alexander Day across Canada, with Royal Assent by the Governor General December 9, 2014.
Titles, styles, honours, and arms
Titles
| Viceregal styles of Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (1985–1991) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Honour the Honourable |
| Spoken style | Your Honour |
| Alternative style | Sir |
- January 21, 1922 – June 4, 1979: Mister Lincoln MacCauley Alexander
- June 4, 1979 – September 20, 1985: The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander
- September 20, 1985 – December 10, 1991: His Honour the Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander
- December 10, 1991 – October 19, 2012: The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander
Honours
- Appointments
June 4, 1979 – October 19, 2012: Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (PC)- April 30, 1992 – October 19, 2012: Companion of the Order of Canada (CC)[15]
1992–2012: Member of the Order of Ontario (O.Ont)
Lincoln Alexander Day (across Canada) act passed into law December 3, 2014.
- Medals
- : Knight of the Order of St. John (KstJ) 1985
- : Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
- : War Medal 1939–1945
- : Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977)
- : 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (1992)
- : Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
- : Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
- : Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) 1994
| Ribbon bars of Lincoln Alexander | |||
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- Honorary Degrees
Lincoln Alexander Received Honorary Degrees from Numerous Universities Including
- University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario (LL.D) in 1986 [16]
- McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (LL.D) in 1987 [17]
- University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario (LL.D) in 1988 [18]
- York University in Toronto, Ontario (LL.D) in 1990 [19]
- Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1991
- Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (LL.D) in 1992 [20]
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Honorific eponyms
- Awards
- Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Award[21]
- Roads, highways, and bridges
- Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway, Hamilton
- Schools
- Ontario: Lincoln Alexander Public School, Ajax
- Ontario: Lincoln Alexander Public School, Hamilton
- Ontario: Lincoln Alexander Public School, Markham
- Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School, Mississauga
- Ontario: Alexander Hall, University of Guelph
- Others
- Ontario: 876 Lincoln Alexander Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron
- Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Building, 777 Memorial Ave, Orillia, OPP headquarters
Arms
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