Daurene Elaine Lewis, (September 9, 1943 – January 26, 2013), was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician and educator. She was the first Black female mayor in Canada.

Early life and education

Born in

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Plym ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1943, Lewis was a descendant of freed Loyalist African Americans who settled in Annapolis Royal in 1783. She was a descendant of

Rose Fortune Rose Fortune (March 13, 1774 – February 20, 1864) was a child born in or around Philadelphia of runaway slaves. Her parents became Black Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War when they pledged to be loyal to the British Army in exc ...

, a Virginian who became the first female police officer in North America. Trained as a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

, Lewis held a diploma in teaching in schools of nursing from

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

, a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary's University, and in 1993 was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

doctorate in humane letters from

Mount Saint Vincent University Mount Saint Vincent University, often referred to as the Mount, is a public, primarily undergraduate, university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was established in 1873. Mount Saint Vincent offers undergraduate Arts, Science, Edu ...

Political career

Lewis first formal political involvement was in 1979, running for town council in Annapolis Royal. Her issues included increasing awareness of the area's history, and attempts at community revitalization. She was appointed as deputy mayor in 1982 working alongside Mayor George Richardson. In 1984, Lewis was elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Annapolis Royal, making her the first female black mayor in Canada. Lewis attempted to enter provincial politics in the 1988 election, making an unsuccessful bid to represent

Annapolis West Annapolis West was a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elected one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It existed from 1956 to 1993. Prior to 1956, it was a part of the district of Annapolis County. It was aboli ...

in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. She was the first black woman in Nova Scotia to run in a provincial election.

After politics

Lewis was the former executive director of the Centre for Women in Business at

. She was principal of both the Institute of Technology and Akerley Campuses of the

Nova Scotia Community College Nova Scotia Community College or NSCC is a Canadian community college serving the province of Nova Scotia through a network of 14 campuses and three community learning centres. The college delivers over 130 programs in five academic schools: Acc ...

. In 2001 she became the first African Canadian senior administrator in the history of the college. She completed an extended terms on the board of directors of

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

and the Governor General's

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Advisory Council. She was on the executive of the

Vanier Institute of the Family The Vanier Institute of the Family is a national, independent think tank committed to enhancing family wellbeing by making information about families accessible and actionable. Leveraging networks of researchers, educators, policymakers, and orga ...

and the

Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts The Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts (the Conservatory) is a Canadian performing arts school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that offers courses in higher education in music, dance, and theatre. It is the largest and the oldest (1887) of such orga ...

. She was a member of the International Women's Foundation. She died in a Halifax hospital in 2013.

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

In 1994 Lewis was added to the Black Cultural Centre Wall of Honour. In 1995, she was recipient of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Global Citizenship Award. In 1998 she received the Progress Club of Halifax Woman of Excellence award for Public Affairs and Communication. In 2002, she was made a Member of the

and received the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

volunteer award. She received both the Queen's Jubilee Medal and the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

. In 2018, the Annapolis Royal town hall plaza was named after Lewis in a ceremony in which a bronze bust by sculptor

Ruth Abernethy A statue by Abernethy Ruth Elsie Abernethy (born 1960) is a Canadian sculptor born in Lindsay, Ontario. Her work includes bronze figure portraits of Glenn Gould at CBC, Toronto, and Oscar Peterson at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa. She wrote ' ...

was unveiled.

References

External links