May Cutler
Encyclopedia
May Cutler was a Canadian
author
, journalist
and publisher. Cutler founded Tundra Books
in her basement
in 1967, becoming Canada's first female publisher of children’s books. Cutler also served a four-year term as the first female mayor of Westmount, Quebec
from 1987 to 1991.
in 1923. Her parents, Francis (née
Farrell) and William Ebbitt, a police officer
, were Irish immigrants
. She married Phil Cutler, a Canadian labor lawyer
, who died in 1987. The couple had four sons - Keir, Adam and Michael, who are twins, and Roger.
Cutler earned both her bachelor of arts
and her master of arts
degrees from McGill University
in Montreal
. She next obtained a second master of arts in journalism
from Columbia University
in New York City
.
following her graduation from Columbia University. Cutler returned to Canada
, where she became a columnist
and reporter for the former Montreal Herald. She also wrote magazine
articles for the now defunct Montreal Standard
. Cutler was only the second woman to be hired by the Canadian Press
.
She would later join the faculty of McGill University, where she founded a three-year curriculum
program for journalism.
and author, and William Kurelek
, who released A Prairie Boy’s Winter and They Sought a New World through Tundra Books. In addition to children's publishing business, Cutler also published books by architect
Moshe Safdie
and novelist Roch Carrier
, including his work The Hockey Sweater
.
Cutler successfully guided Tundra Books through financial difficulties, as well as the death of her husband in 1987, which coincided with her political campaign for mayor of Westmount. Tundra Books was sold to the McClelland & Stewart publishing firm in 1998.
Cutler also wrote and published her own works during her career. She published her novel
, The Last Noble Savage, in 1967. She also penned a musical
, two theatrical plays and a biography
of Kurelek entitled Breaking Free: The Story of William Kurelek.
of Westmount, Quebec
, had refused her request for a zoning change which would have allowed Tundra Books' headquarters to move to the street-level floor of Sherbrooke Street which she had purchased. Cutler announced her candidacy for mayor of Westmount in 1987, which was her first political campaign. She defeated incumbent Westmount Mayor Brian Gallery in the 1987 mayoral election, becoming the first female mayor of the city. Gallery later praised Cutler's handling of the transition of power saying, "She was listening, she asked good questions...I walked away from our chat thinking she’ll be a good friend. The keys to the city will be in very good hands." Montreal city councilman Marvin Rotrand
also noted that Cutler's election, "marked a sea change from the clannish, traditional way that Westmount had always been run." Cutler served one four-year term as Mayor of Westmount. Cutler declined to run for re-election in 1991 and asked then Westmount city coucilman Peter Trent
to run to succeed her as Mayor. Trent was elected in 1991 when Cutler stepped down from office.
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...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and publisher. Cutler founded Tundra Books
Tundra Books
Tundra Books is the oldest children's book publisher in Canada.Tundra Books was founded in 1967 by May Cutler, a Montreal-based writer and editor. Cutler established the publishing company in the basement of her home, becoming the first woman to publish children's books in Canada. The U.S...
in her basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
in 1967, becoming Canada's first female publisher of children’s books. Cutler also served a four-year term as the first female mayor of Westmount, Quebec
Westmount, Quebec
Westmount is a city on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada; pop. 20,494; area 4.02 km²; population density of 5,092.56 inhabitants/km²....
from 1987 to 1991.
Early life
Cutler was born May Ebbitt in the east end of MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1923. Her parents, Francis (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Farrell) and William Ebbitt, a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, were Irish immigrants
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. She married Phil Cutler, a Canadian labor lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, who died in 1987. The couple had four sons - Keir, Adam and Michael, who are twins, and Roger.
Cutler earned both her bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and her master of arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degrees from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. She next obtained a second master of arts in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early career
Cutler worked for the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
following her graduation from Columbia University. Cutler returned to 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...
, where she became a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
and reporter for the former Montreal Herald. She also wrote magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
articles for the now defunct Montreal Standard
Montreal Standard
The Montreal Standard was a newspaper in Montreal, Quebec from 1905-1951 and founded by Hugh Graham, 1st Baron Atholstan. It began in 1905 as a Saturday-only newspaper on the model of the Illustrated London News; that is, current events using photographs and news stories. The Standard became more...
. Cutler was only the second woman to be hired by the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
.
She would later join the faculty of McGill University, where she founded a three-year curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
program for journalism.
Tundra Books
In 1967, Cutler founded Tundra Books in the basement of her home. In doing so, Cutler became the first Canadian woman to become a publisher of children's books in history. Cutler owned and operated Tundra Books for more than 28 years. She openly sought out writers and artists to author children's books for her publishing house. Cutler was the first publisher to release works by Stéphane Poulin, a French-language illustratorIllustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and author, and William Kurelek
William Kurelek
William Kurelek, CM was a Canadian artist and writer. His work was influenced by his childhood on the prairies, his Ukrainian-Canadian roots and his Roman Catholicism.- Life :...
, who released A Prairie Boy’s Winter and They Sought a New World through Tundra Books. In addition to children's publishing business, Cutler also published books by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie
Moshe Safdie, CC, FAIA is an architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author. Born in the city of Haifa, then Palestine and now Israel, he moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, when he was 15 years old.-Career:...
and novelist Roch Carrier
Roch Carrier
Roch Carrier, OC is a Canadian novelist and author of "contes" . He is among the best known Quebec writers in English Canada....
, including his work The Hockey Sweater
The Hockey Sweater
"The Hockey Sweater" is a short story published in 1979 by Canadian author Roch Carrier....
.
Cutler successfully guided Tundra Books through financial difficulties, as well as the death of her husband in 1987, which coincided with her political campaign for mayor of Westmount. Tundra Books was sold to the McClelland & Stewart publishing firm in 1998.
Cutler also wrote and published her own works during her career. She published her novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, The Last Noble Savage, in 1967. She also penned a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, two theatrical plays and a biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of Kurelek entitled Breaking Free: The Story of William Kurelek.
Mayor of Westmount
Cutler decided to enter politics in 1987 following several personal and professional disagreements with the local government. The city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
of Westmount, Quebec
Westmount, Quebec
Westmount is a city on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada; pop. 20,494; area 4.02 km²; population density of 5,092.56 inhabitants/km²....
, had refused her request for a zoning change which would have allowed Tundra Books' headquarters to move to the street-level floor of Sherbrooke Street which she had purchased. Cutler announced her candidacy for mayor of Westmount in 1987, which was her first political campaign. She defeated incumbent Westmount Mayor Brian Gallery in the 1987 mayoral election, becoming the first female mayor of the city. Gallery later praised Cutler's handling of the transition of power saying, "She was listening, she asked good questions...I walked away from our chat thinking she’ll be a good friend. The keys to the city will be in very good hands." Montreal city councilman Marvin Rotrand
Marvin Rotrand
Marvin Rotrand is a Canadian politician. He currently serves as the Majority House Leader Montreal City Council and is also the city councillor representing the district of Snowdon. Rotrand has served on Montreal city council since 1982...
also noted that Cutler's election, "marked a sea change from the clannish, traditional way that Westmount had always been run." Cutler served one four-year term as Mayor of Westmount. Cutler declined to run for re-election in 1991 and asked then Westmount city coucilman Peter Trent
Peter Trent
Peter F. Trent is an English Canadian businessman and politician. He is the current mayor of Westmount, Quebec. He was named Mayor of Westmount by acclamation on the November 1, 2009 municipal election. He plans to use his profile to debate reorganization of the Montreal region...
to run to succeed her as Mayor. Trent was elected in 1991 when Cutler stepped down from office.