Lincoln Alexander

Hon. Lincoln MacCauley Alexander
The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander, seen here in a screenshot from CBC speaking to press about the Fuddle Duddle incident of 1971, involving Prime Minister Trudeau.
24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office 1985 – 1991
Preceded by	John Black Aird
Succeeded by	Henry N. R. Jackman
Federal Member of Parliament
In office 1968 – May 28, 1980
Preceded by	Joseph Macaluso
Succeeded by	Stanley Hudecki
Constituency	Hamilton West
Born	January 21 1922 (1922--) (age 85) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Progressive Conservative Party
Occupation	Barrister and solicitor, lawyer
Religion	Baptist

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

Born to West Indian immigrants to Canada, Lincoln Alexander first distinguished himself by serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the second World War. He 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 of Ontario.

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.

Lincoln M. Alexander is the Honourary Patron of the Hamilton, Ontario branch of St. John Ambulance.

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).

External links

• Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
• Order of Canada Citation
• Description of Lincoln M. Alexander Award

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