40 Facts About Lincoln Alexander

Lincoln Alexander was named Minister of Labour in 1979 under prime minister Joe Clark, holding the position until the PC party's defeat in the 1980 election.

Lincoln Alexander resigned from the House of Commons later that year and became Chair of the Worker's Compensation Board of Ontario.

Lincoln Alexander died in 2012 and was accorded a state funeral.

Lincoln Alexander was the eldest son of Mae Rose, who immigrated from Jamaica, and Lincoln McCauley Alexander Sr.

Lincoln Alexander had a younger brother Hughie, born in 1924, and an older half-brother Ridley "Bunny" Wright, born to his mother in 1920 prior to her marriage to his father.

Lincoln Alexander went to Earl Grey Public School where he was the only Black child in his kindergarten class.

Lincoln Alexander noted in his memoir that he "never raced home from school and cried" but earned the respect of his classmates, sometimes by fighting.

Lincoln Alexander's family was religious and enjoyed a social life centred on regularly attending a Baptist church in downtown Toronto.

Lincoln Alexander's father was a stern disciplinarian who wanted his son to play the piano.

Lincoln Alexander preferred various sports, including track, soccer, hockey, softball, and boxing; he never learned to swim.

Lincoln Alexander's size made him uncoordinated so he was not a natural athlete.

Lincoln Alexander chose Lincoln; Hughie remained with the Downes family and the brothers grew apart.

Lincoln Alexander met Yvonne Harrison at a dance in Toronto.

Lincoln Alexander was smitten by her and resolved to marry her.

Lincoln Alexander first distinguished himself in service to Canada in 1942 as a corporal and wireless operator in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

Lincoln Alexander served in many parts of the country including Portage La Prairie.

Lincoln Alexander was ineligible for combat duty because of poor eyesight.

Lincoln Alexander reported the incident to a superior officer who refused to take action.

Lincoln Alexander quit the Air Force in 1945 and was granted an honourable discharge.

Lincoln Alexander declined their offer of his old summer job working in the plant.

In 1948, Lincoln Alexander's mother died at age 49, suffering from dementia; his father committed suicide four years later.

Lincoln Alexander married his first wife, Yvonne Harrison, in 1948; their only child, a son Keith, was born in 1949.

Lincoln Alexander bought his own home on Proctor Blvd in the east end of Hamilton in 1958 and was able to move his family out of his in-laws' house.

Lincoln Alexander joined former McMaster classmate Jack Millar in the firm Millar, Alexander, Tokiwa and Isaacs, which eventually became known as "the United Nations law firm".

In 1965, Lincoln Alexander ran in the Canadian federal election as the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the Hamilton West electoral district but was defeated.

Lincoln Alexander ran again in the 1968 federal election and on June 25,1968, he won the seat, becoming Canada's first black Member of Parliament.

Lincoln Alexander wrote in his memoir that he did not shy away from voting with the Liberal government if an issue warranted his support.

Lincoln Alexander was an observer to the United Nations in 1976 and 1978 and served briefly as Minister of Labour in the Progressive Conservative Party's minority government headed by Joe Clark from 1979 to 1980.

Lincoln Alexander held the seat through four successive elections until resigning his seat on May 27,1980, when he was asked by then Premier of Ontario Bill Davis to serve as chairman of the Ontario Worker's Compensation Board.

Lincoln Alexander became the first black person to serve in a viceregal position in Canada.

Lincoln Alexander served as Chair of the Workers Compensation Board of Ontario from 1980 to 1985.

In 1992, Lincoln Alexander was appointed to the Order of Ontario and became a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Lincoln Alexander was succeeded as Chancellor by then broadcaster Pamela Wallin.

In 2000, Lincoln Alexander was named Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, where he remained an active spokesman on race relations and veterans' issues.

Lincoln Alexander died in his sleep on the morning of October 19,2012, aged 90.

Lincoln Alexander's body lay in state, first inside the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park, then at Hamilton City Hall.

Lincoln Alexander was survived by his son Keith Lincoln Alexander from his marriage to his first wife Yvonne Harrison.

Lincoln Alexander was survived by daughter-in-law Joyce Alexander and grandchildren Erika and Marissa Alexander, and his second wife Marni Beal whom he married in 2011.

Lincoln Alexander was accorded an Ontario state funeral conducted by the Reverend Allison Barrett.

The Lincoln Alexander Day act passed into law December 3,2014.