William Earl Rowe
Encyclopedia
William Earl Rowe, PC
(May 13, 1894 – February 9, 1984), was a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
from 1963 to 1968. He also had four children, one of which died during labour.
Rowe was born in Hull, Iowa
of Canadian parents in 1894. He moved to Ontario with his family at the age of two and grew up to become a farmer and cattle breeder. He was reeve of the township
of West Gwillimbury
from 1919 to 1923. Rowe served as a Member of Provincial Parliament from 1923 to 1925, and was then elected to the House of Commons
, where he served until 1935.
From 1936 to 1938, he was leader of Conservative Party of Ontario though, as he did not have a seat in the legislature George S. Henry remained Leader of the Opposition
.
In the public mind, the cause of labour was identified with the American Congress of Industrial Organizations
and communism
. During the 1937 provincial election when Liberal
premier
Mitchell Hepburn
was railing against the C.I.O's attempt to unionize General Motors
and the supposed threat posed by organized labour, Rowe refused to take a stand against the C.I.O. and repeatedly asserted that: "the issue was not law and order but the right of free association." At the time the Conservatives were strongly associated with the Orange Order
which had long held a pro-labour position. Rowe's stance resulted in George A. Drew breaking with the party in order to run as an "Independent Conservative" in the 1937 election in opposition to Rowe's position.
Rowe failed to win his seat in the 1937 provincial election and successfully ran in a by-election held in November 1937 to regain the seat in the federal House of Commons he had resigned from two months earlier to run in the provincial election. He was succeeded as leader by former rival Drew. Drew went on to serve as Premier of Ontario
in the 1940s before moving to federal politics.
Rowe served in the House of Commons until 1962. On two occasions (1954-1955 and 1956) when George Drew, who had by this point become federal PC leader, was unable to perform his duties due to ill health, Rowe served as acting leader of the official opposition.
From 1958 to 1962, he and his daughter, Jean Casselman Wadds
, were the only father and daughter to ever sit together in Parliament.
Rowe was lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1963 to 1968. A champion and supporter of agriculture and rural affairs, he died in 1984 at Newton Robinson, Ontario.
The Honourable Earl Rowe Public School in Bradford, Ontario
, and Earl Rowe Provincial Park, near Alliston
are named in his honour.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(May 13, 1894 – February 9, 1984), was a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, 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...
. He served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
from 1963 to 1968. He also had four children, one of which died during labour.
Rowe was born in Hull, Iowa
Hull, Iowa
Hull is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hull is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
of Canadian parents in 1894. He moved to Ontario with his family at the age of two and grew up to become a farmer and cattle breeder. He was reeve of the township
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
of West Gwillimbury
Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario
Bradford West Gwillimbury, a town in south-central Ontario, in the County of Simcoe in the Greater Toronto Area on the Holland River. West Gwillimbury takes its name from the family of Elizabeth Simcoe, née Gwillim....
from 1919 to 1923. Rowe served as a Member of Provincial Parliament from 1923 to 1925, and was then elected to the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, where he served until 1935.
From 1936 to 1938, he was leader of Conservative Party of Ontario though, as he did not have a seat in the legislature George S. Henry remained Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Ontario)
The Leader of the Opposition in Ontario is usually leader of the largest party in the Ontario legislature which is not the government. The current official opposition is formed by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, and Tim Hudak is the current Leader of the Opposition.Ontario's first...
.
In the public mind, the cause of labour was identified with the American Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
and communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. During the 1937 provincial election when Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Frederick Hepburn was the 11th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest Premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37....
was railing against the C.I.O's attempt to unionize General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and the supposed threat posed by organized labour, Rowe refused to take a stand against the C.I.O. and repeatedly asserted that: "the issue was not law and order but the right of free association." At the time the Conservatives were strongly associated with the Orange Order
Orange Institution
The Orange Institution is a Protestant fraternal organisation based mainly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, though it has lodges throughout the Commonwealth and United States. The Institution was founded in 1796 near the village of Loughgall in County Armagh, Ireland...
which had long held a pro-labour position. Rowe's stance resulted in George A. Drew breaking with the party in order to run as an "Independent Conservative" in the 1937 election in opposition to Rowe's position.
Rowe failed to win his seat in the 1937 provincial election and successfully ran in a by-election held in November 1937 to regain the seat in the federal House of Commons he had resigned from two months earlier to run in the provincial election. He was succeeded as leader by former rival Drew. Drew went on to serve as Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
in the 1940s before moving to federal politics.
Rowe served in the House of Commons until 1962. On two occasions (1954-1955 and 1956) when George Drew, who had by this point become federal PC leader, was unable to perform his duties due to ill health, Rowe served as acting leader of the official opposition.
From 1958 to 1962, he and his daughter, Jean Casselman Wadds
Jean Casselman Wadds
Jean Casselman Wadds, OC was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Grenville—Dundas from 1958 to 1968. She sat as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party....
, were the only father and daughter to ever sit together in Parliament.
Rowe was lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1963 to 1968. A champion and supporter of agriculture and rural affairs, he died in 1984 at Newton Robinson, Ontario.
The Honourable Earl Rowe Public School in Bradford, Ontario
Bradford, Ontario
Bradford is the primary country urban area of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, in Canada. It overlooks a beautiful and prosperous farming community, known as The Holland Marsh, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe...
, and Earl Rowe Provincial Park, near Alliston
Alliston, Ontario
Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth...
are named in his honour.