Lincoln Alexander

Infobox Politician
honorific-prefix = The Honourable
name = Lincoln MacCauley Alexander
honorific-suffix = PC CC QC OOnt CD LLD LLB


imagesize = 175px
caption = Lincoln Alexander speaking to the press about the Fuddle Duddle incident (screenshot CBC, 1971)
small_

order = 24th
office = Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
term_start = 1985
term_end = 1991
governor_general = Jeanne Sauvé
predecessor = John Black Aird
successor = Henry N. R. Jackman
constituency =
majority =
office2 = Federal Member of Parliament
term_start2 = 1968
term_end2 = May 28, 1980
predecessor2 = Joseph Macaluso
successor2 = Stanley Hudecki
constituency2 = Hamilton West
birth_date = Birth date and age|1922|1|21|mf=y
birth_place = Toronto, Ontario
death_date =
death_place =
party = Progressive Conservative Party
relations =
spouse =
civil partner =
children =
residence =
occupation = Barrister and solicitor, lawyer
religion = Baptist


website =
footnotes =

Lincoln MacCauley Alexander PC CC QC OOnt CD (born January 21, 1922), served as the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1985 to 1991. Alexander was also a Governor of the Canadian Unity Council

Born in Toronto, Ontario to West Indian immigrants to Canada, Lincoln Alexander first distinguished himself by serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the second World War. In 1953, he graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. [cite web | url=http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/releases_1996_2000/archive/040397.htm York University | title=York University's Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association honours three outstanding members of the legal profession | publisher=York University | date=3 April 1997 | accessdate=2008-04-01]

Alexander then became Canada's first black Member of Parliament when he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1968 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, representing the riding of Hamilton West. During this period, he was indirectly involved in the famous fuddle duddle incident involving Trudeau, because he spoke to the press over the alleged profanity.

Lincoln Alexander held the seat for the next four successive elections. In 1976 and 1978 he served as an observer to the United Nations. Under the brief government of Joe Clark in 1979-1980, Alexander served as Minister of Labour. He resigned his seat in 1980 to serve as chairman of the Worker's Compensation Board.

Lincoln Alexander was appointed by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé, on the advice of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, as the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, in 1985, the first black person to serve in a vice-regal position in Canada. (James Douglas, who was of mixed descent, was Governor of Vancouver Island and of British Columbia prior to Canadian Confederation.) During Alexander's term in vice-regal office, he concentrated on bringing attention to education and youth issues.

After his departure from office in 1991, Alexander was awarded the Order of Ontario, and made a Companion of the Order of Canada. From 1991 to 2007, Alexander served as Chancellor of the University of Guelph, longer than any of his predecessors, and subsequently assumed the office of Chancellor Emeritus. Alexander was also named Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation in 2000 and he remains an active spokesman on race relations and veterans' issues. He is currently the Honourary Patron of the Hamilton, Ontario branch of St. John Ambulance, as well as Honourary Chief of the Hamilton Police Service.

The Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway (known locally as "the Linc"), a freeway through Hamilton, was named in his honour, though Lincoln Alexander has never held a driver's licence of his own. There are three schools called Lincoln Alexander Public School, as well as Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School, all named after him. As well, in 1993 the Government of Ontario created the "Lincoln M. Alexander Award" to reward young Ontarians who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in the elimination of racial discrimination. More recently, Alexander was recently declared the Greatest Hamiltonian in a reader vote done by The Hamilton Spectator in commemorating the 160th anniversary of the town's founding and formation of the newspaper. Alexander won by 300 votes over Effort Trust company founder Arthur Weisz.

In November, 2006, his autobiography "Go to School, You're a Little Black Boy: The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander: A Memoir" was published (ISBN 1-55002-663-1).

References

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?Language=E&query=2540&s=M Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament]
* [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=2995 Order of Canada Citation]
* [http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citdiv/honours/lincoln/lincoln.htm Description of Lincoln M. Alexander Award]
* [http://www.uoguelph.ca/atguelph/06-11-22/ Short interview after book launch]
* [http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.central.cadets.ca/public/LHQ-QGL/876air/images/lincoln-alexander.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.central.cadets.ca/public/LHQ-QGL/876air/index_e.html&h=505&w=400&sz=55&hl=en&start=2&usg=__OjAzjQVf-E0wUHIsomtUytVnP_g=&tbnid=AaQpFcZ1HdPyFM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLincoln%2BAlexander%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG biography of his career with the Canadian Air Force]