Judy LaMarsh

Julia Verlyn (Judy) LaMarsh, PC, OC (December 20, 1924 – October 27, 1980) was a Canadian politician, lawyer, author and broadcaster. She served as a Cabinet Minister under Prime Minister Lester Pearson, and was just the second female Minister in Canadian history.

Biography

Of French and English descent [http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=heatherduff&id=I3492] , LaMarsh was born in Chatham, Ontario, and raised in Niagara Falls. Although she trained as a teacher, she never taught school. She enlisted in the Canadian Women's Army Corps, travelled the country from 1943 to 1946, and attained the rank of sergeant.

After the war, she attended the University of Toronto's Victoria College, and Osgoode Hall, where she was trained as a lawyer, graduating in 1950. She was called to the Bar of Ontario, and joined her father's law practice in Niagara Falls. ["Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded Cage", by Judy LaMarsh, Toronto 1969, McClelland & Stewart.]

After unsuccessful forays into Ontario provincial politics, LaMarsh was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in a 1960 by-election. Sitting as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Niagara Falls, she joined the Canadian Cabinet after the Liberals defeated the Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker in the 1963 election. Serving under Prime Minister, Lester Pearson she was only the second female federal cabinet minister in Canadian history, and the first to serve in a Liberal cabinet. LaMarsh served as Minister of National Health and Welfare and Minister of Amateur Sport from 1963 to 1965, and as Secretary of State for Canada from 1965 to 1968.

Her period as Minister of National Health and Welfare coincided with the introduction of the Canada Pension Plan and the drafting of what was to become Canada's Medicare system. As Secretary of State, she presided over Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967, and established the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.

In the 1968 Liberal leadership convention to choose a successor to Pearson, she supported Paul Hellyer. When it became clear after the first round of voting that Hellyer could not win, she urged him to drop off the ballot and throw his support to another candidate in order to stop Pierre Trudeau. Her words, uttered on the floor of the convention hall: "Paul, you've got to go to Winters. Don't let that bastard win it, Paul - he isn't even a Liberal" were, unbeknownst to her, broadcast live over CBC Television.

Not surprisingly, she retired from politics after Trudeau won the party's leadership.

She published her political autobiography, entitled "Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded Cage", in 1969, and the book sold very well. LaMarsh worked as a broadcaster including a stint for CBC Radio, hosting "This Country in the Morning" from 1974 until 1976.

In the late 1970s, she headed the Ontario government's Royal Commission on Violence in the Communications Industry. In 1980, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

She died of cancer in 1980, aged 55.

Bibliography

* "Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded Cage". Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1969 (autobiography)
* "A Very Political Lady". Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1979 ISBN 0-7710-4622-7 (novel)
* "A Right Honourable Lady". Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1980 ISBN 0-7710-4624-3 (novel)

References

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External links

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* [http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/search.asp?search=1&db=5&idx=ti&query=judy+lamarsh Images from the collection of the Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)]

s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament from Niagara Falls
years=1960–1968s-ttl|title=Minister of National Health and Welfare
years=1963–1965