Daniel L. Norris (August 30, 1935 – August 5, 2008) was the commissioner of the Northwest Territories from October 2, 1989, until September 30, 1994. Norris was born in 1935 near Inuvik and was raised in Aklavik. Norris died on August 5, 2008, from heart failure, a complication of his long-time struggle with diabetes.
Biography
Norris was born on August 30, 1935 near Inuvik in the Mackenzie Delta. Raised in Aklavik, Norris reportedly aspired to become a trapper like his father. Norris served for 27 years in the Northwest Territories government's public service, including four years spent as a regional administrator in the Beaufort Delta. He began in the public sector in what was then the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources, and rose within that department to become its regional superintendent of personnel.
On October 2, 1989, Norris was appointed as the territory's 11th commissioner, making him the first Aboriginal born in the north of Canada to be appointed to that role.