Former Ontario lieutenant governor Lincoln Alexander dead at 90
Posted Oct 20, 2012 03:48:51 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Lincoln Alexander, the first black man in Canada to become a member of parliament and later, a lieutenant-governor, has died at the age of 90.
Lt.-Gov. David announced the death Friday morning on Twitter, offering his condolences to Alexander’s wife Marni and his family.
Alexander, affectionately known as “Linc” was a “living legend” in his hometown of Hamilton and a man whose life and career were “a series of groundbreaking firsts,” Onley said in a statement.
“Lincoln Alexander’s whole life was a rebuke to those who would equate ability with skin colour. He overcame poverty and prejudice to scale the professional and political heights,” he said.
The Canadian and Ontario flags were taken down then raised to half-mast outside the provincial legislature. [View the story “Former Ont. Lt.-Gov. Lincoln Alexander dies at age 90” on Storify]
Born in Toronto in 1922 to West Indian immigrants, Alexander served as Ontario’s lieutenant governor from 1985 to 1991.
He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a wireless operator in the Second World War from 1942 until 1945 and graduated from Osgoode Law School in 1953.
In 1965, he ran as a Conservative in the federal riding of Hamilton West, but lost. After losing at his first try, Alexander spent four terms in Ottawa as the member from Hamilton West. He became the first black member of Parliament in Canada in 1968. He was Joe Clark’s labour minister in 1979.
Alexander left the House of Commons in 1980 to serve as chairman of the Ontario Workman’s Compensation Board. In 1985, he was appointed Ontario’s 24th lieutenant governor and held the post until 1991.
In 1992, Alexander was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and to the Order of Ontario.
After leaving office, Alexander went on to serve as chancellor of the University of Guelph, serving five terms as chancellor at the University of Guelph.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper called him “a truly great Canadian.”
“Lincoln’s legacy will live on through his family, through the schools and awards that bear his name and through the memories Canadians hold of his long record of distinguished public service,” he said in a statement.
Premier Dalton McGuinty said Alexander left an “extraordinary legacy” in both his private life and his work as a public servant.
“Lincoln was a towering man, and his stature matched his influence,” he said in a statement. “Not just on all those fortunate enough to work with him, but all those who knew him.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said the country has lost “one of Canada’s finest.”
“Mr. Alexander’s contributions to create world-class education, bring youth issues forward and help break barriers will have a lasting impact on all Canadians,” he said in a statement.
Guelph University president Alastair Summerlee said Alexander was “perhaps the most admired and respected public figure in Ontario.”
During his unprecedented five-year term as the University of Guelph chancellor, he conferred degrees on more than 20,000 graduates.
Alexander made headlines last year when he married Marni Beal, a woman nearly 30 years his junior. His first wife died in 1999 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
He spoke openly of their love story, admitting he was hesitant to propose.
“If you go to Toronto, the place is full of interracial couples. Race doesn’t mean a damn thing anymore,” he told the media in April 2011.
“[But] an old codger like me marrying a girl 30 years his junior? I was afraid to ask her.”
Alexander’s death wasn’t unexpected, Onley said. He suffered an aortic embolism last winter after he returned from vacation and underwent emergency surgery.
He is survived by his wife, son, Keith, and two granddaughters, Erika and Marissa.
He will receive a provincial state funeral.
