Lincoln Alexander

The Honourable Lincoln MacCauley Alexander PC CC OOnt CD QC LLD LLB
24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office 1985–1991
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Jeanne Sauvé
Preceded by	John Black Aird
Succeeded by	Henry N. R. Jackman
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Hamilton West
In office June 25, 1968 – May 28, 1980
Preceded by	Joseph Macaluso
Succeeded by	Stanley Hudecki
Constituency	Hamilton West
Personal details
Born	(1922-01-21) January 21, 1922 Toronto, Ontario
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Occupation	Barrister and solicitor, lawyer

Lincoln MacCauley Alexander, PC CC OOnt CD QC (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, Lincoln Alexander first distinguished himself in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1953.

In 1968, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Hamilton West representative for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, becoming Canada's first black Member of Parliament. He held the seat for four successive elections.

While in office, he spoke to the press about Trudeau's alleged profanity in the fuddle duddle incident, and was an observer to the United Nations in 1976 and 1978. 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 Ontario Worker's Compensation Board.

In 1985, on the advice of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Governor General Jeanne Sauvé appointed Lincoln Alexander the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He became 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 when these were British colonies with no connect to the Canadas.) During his appointment, he focused attention on education and youth issues.

In 1992, Alexander was awarded the Order of Ontario. He also became a Companion of the Order of Canada. From 1991 to 2007, he served as Chancellor of the University of Guelph. His term exceeded that of any of his predecessors, and he assumed the office of Chancellor Emeritus.

In 2000, Alexander was named Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, where 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.

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).

Titles, styles, and honours

Honours

Awards

• Canada: Companion of the Order of Canada
• Canada: Canadian Forces Decoration
• Ontario: Order of Ontario
• Ontario: Greatest Hamiltonian (a poll of readers of The Hamilton Spectator in 2006)

Honorific eponyms

Awards

• Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Awards

Roads, highways, and bridges

• Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway, Hamilton

Schools

• Ontario: Lincoln Alexander Public School, Ajax
• Ontario: Lincoln Alexander Public School, Hamilton
• Ontario: Lincoln Alexander Public School, Markham
• Ontario: Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School, Mississauga+
• Ontario: Alexander Hall, University of Guelph

Others

• Ontario: 876 Lincoln Alexander Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron

Arms

Coat of arms of Lincoln Alexander

Notes The arms of Lincoln Alexander consist of: 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. 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

External links

• Lincoln Alexander – Parliament of Canada biography
• Description of Lincoln M. Alexander Award
• Short interview after book launch
• biography of his career with the Canadian Air Force