Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (January 21, 1922 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who became the first Black Canadian to be a member of Parliament in the House of Commons, a federal Cabinet Minister (as federal Minister of Labour), a Chair of the Worker's Compensation Board of Ontario, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1985 to 1991. Alexander was also a governor of the Canadian Unity Council.
Alexander was born in Toronto to Caribbean immigrant parents. After service during World War II, he received a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University in 1949 before earning his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1953. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, he became the first black Member of Parliament in Canadian history after being elected to the House of Commons in the 1968 Canadian federal election. He was named Minister of Labour in 1979 under prime minister Joe Clark, holding the position until the PC party's defeat in the 1980 election. He resigned from the House of Commons later that year and became Chair of the Worker's Compensation Board of Ontario.
In 1985, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, holding the position until 1991. From 1991 to 2007, he became Chancellor of the University of Guelph, becoming the first person to serve five terms in that capacity. He died in 2012 and was accorded a state funeral. Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University)'s faculty of law was renamed in his honour in 2021.
Early life and education
Alexander was born on January 21, 1922, in a row house on Draper Street near Front Street and Spadina Avenue in Toronto, Ontario. Lincoln had a younger brother Hughie, born in 1924, and an older half-brother Ridley "Bunny" Wright, born to his mother in 1920 prior to her marriage to his father.
While stationed in Vancouver, he was refused service at a bar because of his race. He reported the incident to a superior officer who refused to take action. Alexander quit the Air Force in 1945 and was granted an honourable discharge. Of that incident, he said: "[A]t that time they didn't know how to deal with race relations of this sort of thing; they just turned a blind eye to it."
Politics
In 1965, Alexander ran in the Canadian federal election as the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the Hamilton West electoral district but was defeated. In 1976, he voted to abolish capital punishment in a free vote introduced by the governing Liberal party.
He held the seat through four successive elections until resigning his seat on May 27, 1980, when he was asked by then Premier of Ontario Bill Davis to serve as chairman of the Ontario Worker's Compensation Board. as well as Honorary Chief of the Hamilton Police Service and Honorary Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police. The title reflects advice his mother had given him as a boy.
Death
thumb|Hamilton Police Service guard of honour carrying Alexander's casket during his state funeral.
Alexander died in his sleep on the morning of October 19, 2012, aged 90. The national and provincial flags outside the Ontario Legislative Building were flown at half-mast and tributes were given by various viceroys and politicians.
His body lay in state, first inside the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park, then at Hamilton City Hall.
He was survived by his son Keith Lincoln Alexander from his marriage to his first wife Yvonne Harrison (died 1999). He was also survived by daughter-in-law Joyce Alexander and grandchildren Erika and Marissa Alexander, and his second wife Marni Beal whom he married in 2011.
Alexander was accorded an Ontario state funeral conducted by the Reverend Allison Barrett. With the co-operation of thousands of officials, both Provincial and Federal, and Police Services across Canada, and featuring the Burlington Teen Tour Band and, Police Pipe and Drum band, it was conducted at Hamilton Place and attended by 1,500 people. Those in attendance included then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, then-Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Governor General David Johnston, former Governor General Michaëlle Jean, former Prime Minister Joe Clark, federal cabinet minister Julian Fantino, Dr. Alastair Summerlee, President of the University of Guelph, and Dr. Peter George, former President of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Also in attendance were the chairman of the Raptors Foundation and the publisher of the Hamilton newspaper, The Spectator.
Legacy
In December 2013 the legislature of Ontario proclaimed January 21 "Lincoln Alexander Day" in the province. In December 2014 Parliament passed a law designating January 21 "Lincoln Alexander Day" across Canada, which was observed for the first time in 2015.
Several schools have been named in his honor.
The Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway municipal expressway in Hamilton, Ontario, was named in his honour.
On May 6, 2021, Toronto Metropolitan University's (formerly Ryerson University's) faculty of law was renamed the Lincoln Alexander School of Law in his honour.
Honours
Appointments
- June 4, 1979 – October 19, 2012: Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (PC)
- 1985 – October 19, 2012: Knight of the Order of St. John (KStJ)
- April 30, 1992 – October 19, 2012: Companion of the Order of Canada (CC)
- 1992–2012: Member of the Order of Ontario (O.Ont)
- 1992– October 19, 2012: Honorary Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada
- : 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
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Honorary military appointments
- November 1985December 1996: Honorary Colonel of 2 Tactical Aviation Wing Royal Canadian Air Force
Halls of fame
- Canadian Disability Hall of Fame, 1998
Scholastic
; Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector and fellowships
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! style="width:20%;"| Location
! style="width:20%;"| Date
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! style="width:20%;"| Position
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| || 19912007 || University of Guelph || Chancellor
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| || 198919 October 2012 || Renison University College at the University of Waterloo || Honorary Senior Fellow
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Honorary degrees
Alexander received honorary degrees from numerous universities, including:
;Honorary degrees
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! style="width:20%;"| Date
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! style="width:20%;"| Degree
! style="width:20%;"| Gave Commencement Address
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| || 1986 || University of Toronto || Doctor of Laws (LL.D) ||
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| || 1987 || McMaster University || Doctor of Laws (LL.D) ||
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| || 28 October 1988 || University of Western Ontario || Doctor of Laws (LL.D) ||
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| || Fall 1990 || York University || Doctor of Laws (LL.D) ||
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| || 17 May 1991 || Royal Military College of Canada || Doctor of Laws (LL.D) || No
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| || 1992 || Queen's University || Doctor of Laws (LL.D) ||
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Other honours
- 2002: Law Society Medal of the Law Society of Upper Canada
Honorific eponyms
Awards
- Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Award
Roads, highways, and bridges
- Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway, Hamilton
|adopted =
|crest = Above a helmet mantled Azure doubled Argent on a wreath Argent and Azure a demi-lion Azure wearing a coronet rimmed Or heightened with trillium flowers Argent seeded Or and charged on the shoulder with a mullet Argent holding in the dexter forepaw scales of justice Or.
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|helm =
|escutcheon = Argent above two bars wavy Azure in base a lion rampant Sable armed and langued Azure charged on the shoulder with a trillium flower Argent seeded Or.
|supporters = Dexter a lion Sable armed and langued Azure semé of trillium flowers Argent seeded Or winged Bleu Celeste gorged with a collar Argent charged with palm fronds Vert sinister a bear Sable armed and langued Azure winged Bleu Celeste, gorged with a collar Argent pendant therefrom a pomme bordered Argent displaying the badge of the House of Commons of Canada proper.
|compartment = A grassy mound Vert strewn with palm fronds and breadfruit leaves Or rising above water Azure crested Argent.
|motto = Confidence Determination and Perseverance
References
External links
- The Honourable Lincoln Alexander (1922–2012), online exhibit on Archives of Ontario website
- Description of Lincoln M. Alexander Award
- Short interview after book launch
- biography of his career with the Canadian Air Force
- Autobiography