Jean Newman
Encyclopedia
Jean Newman was a municipal politician in Toronto
, Canada
. She served as Controller budget chief and was the first woman to run for Mayor of Toronto.
Newman was born in El Paso, Texas
where he father, a railroad employee, was stationed. The family returned to Canada when she was three months old and she grew up in Toronto. She attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute
and the University of Toronto
and married a fellow student T. Campbell Newman in 1925. T. Campbell Newman was a chemistry student who went on to be an expert in explosives and played an import role during the Second World War.
She serving as a housewife for several years, and worked with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
. She ran for school board in 1950 and was elected. In 1954 she moved to city council where she was elected to represent Ward 9. In 1956 she became the first woman elected to the powerful Board of Control
. She won the most votes of the four controllers elected, and thus gained the powerful budget chief position. She again topped the polls in the 1958 election
and announced her intention to run for mayor, challenging incumbent Nathan Phillips
. In the 1960 mayoral election
Newman placed third behind Phillips and former mayor Allan Lamport. In 1962 she ran for the Liberals in a by-election in the provincial riding of Eglinton
. The riding was staunchly Tory, and while the election was close Newman lost to Progressive Conservative Leonard Mackenzie Reilly
.
After the by-election loss Newman retired from politics and dedicated herself to charitable work. In 1968 her husband died. In 1970 she remarried to Ian Urquhart and took the name Jean Newman-Urquhart. One year later she died from a stroke at age 66.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. She served as Controller budget chief and was the first woman to run for Mayor of Toronto.
Newman was born in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
where he father, a railroad employee, was stationed. The family returned to Canada when she was three months old and she grew up in Toronto. She attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute
Oakwood Collegiate Institute
Oakwood Collegiate Institute is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History & Alumni:Oakwood was founded in 1908. Originally built above King Edward Public School , it has since moved to its present location at the corner of St. Clair Ave. West and Oakwood Ave...
and the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and married a fellow student T. Campbell Newman in 1925. T. Campbell Newman was a chemistry student who went on to be an expert in explosives and played an import role during the Second World War.
She serving as a housewife for several years, and worked with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was the first mass organization among women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far-reaching reform strategies based on applied Christianity." Originally organized on December 23, 1873, in...
. She ran for school board in 1950 and was elected. In 1954 she moved to city council where she was elected to represent Ward 9. In 1956 she became the first woman elected to the powerful Board of Control
Toronto Board of Control
Toronto Board of Control was a part of the municipal government of Toronto, Canada from 1904 until its abolition in 1969 and served as the executive committee of Toronto City Council. It consisted of four councillors elected city wide and was presided over by the mayor. Each voter could vote for up...
. She won the most votes of the four controllers elected, and thus gained the powerful budget chief position. She again topped the polls in the 1958 election
Toronto municipal election, 1958
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on December 1, 1958. Four year incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips won reelection against Controllers Ford Brand and Joseph Cornish.-Toronto mayor:...
and announced her intention to run for mayor, challenging incumbent Nathan Phillips
Nathan Phillips
Nathan Phillips is the name of:*Nathan Phillips , Canadian politician*Nathan Phillips Square, the plaza in front of Toronto, Ontario's City Hall named in honour of the above*Nathan Phillips , Australian actor...
. In the 1960 mayoral election
Toronto municipal election, 1960
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on December 5, 1960. Six-year incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips was challenged by former mayor Allan Lamport and Controller Jean Newman. Phillips was returned to office....
Newman placed third behind Phillips and former mayor Allan Lamport. In 1962 she ran for the Liberals in a by-election in the provincial riding of Eglinton
Eglinton (provincial electoral district)
Eglinton was a provincial electoral district located in Toronto, Ontario. From 1926 until 1999 it elected members to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. At its abolishment in 1999 it consisted of the neighbourhoods of Davisville and Lawrence Park in the north end of the old city of Toronto. It was...
. The riding was staunchly Tory, and while the election was close Newman lost to Progressive Conservative Leonard Mackenzie Reilly
Leonard Mackenzie Reilly
Leonard Mackenzie Reilly was a Canadian politician and businessman.Reilly owned and operated the Reilly Institute of Effective Public Speaking. During the late 1940s and 1950s, Reilly was a City of Toronto alderman....
.
After the by-election loss Newman retired from politics and dedicated herself to charitable work. In 1968 her husband died. In 1970 she remarried to Ian Urquhart and took the name Jean Newman-Urquhart. One year later she died from a stroke at age 66.