Elizabeth Janzen Dreger (1917–1979) was a Canadian politician and businesswoman. Dreger was born August 11, 1917, in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. The youngest of five children born to Rose and Charles Janzen, she was the granddaughter of Henry L. Janzen, the former mayor of Berlin. In 1919, her family moved to a 187-acre farm in

Breslau, Ontario Breslau (ˈbɹɛzlɑː) is a community located within the township of Woolwich, part of the Waterloo Regional Municipality in Ontario Canada. Separated from the city of Kitchener by the Grand River, Breslau takes its name from the German name f ...

where her father operated a greenhouse and nursery. After attending

Moulton College Moulton College is a further education college based in Moulton, Northamptonshire, England. Although initially established as the Northamptonshire Institute of Agriculture in 1921, it now has expanded its teaching curriculum to cover a wide ...

in Toronto, she studied at the MacDonald Institute in Guelph, Ontario graduating with a degree in household science. Dreger later completed a six-month business college course, taking over as secretary at her family's real estate business, where she worked in various capacities for twenty-five years. Dreger married lawyer and former Kitchener mayor Fred Dreger on September 24, 1960. Dreger's career in politics began in 1940, when she attended a local meeting that resulted in the eventual founding of the Waterloo North Conservative Women's Association. She was elected to a three-year term as president of the association in 1942. Beginning in 1948, she served for four years as president of the Western Ontario PC's Women's Association, prior to becoming president of the Women's PC Advisory Committee of Ontario. In 1952, Dreger was selected as the first woman from Kitchener to run for the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. She ran as a candidate in riding of

Waterloo North Waterloo North was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It was created by the ...

in a 1952 by-election to replace

Louis Orville Breithaupt Louis Orville Breithaupt (28 October 1890 – 6 December 1960) served as the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Canada, from 1952 to 1957. Life and career Born in Berlin (later Kitchener), Ontario, the son of Emma Alvarine (Devitt) and Lo ...

after his appointment as

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and again in 1953 federal election. In both cases, she lost to Liberal candidate

Norman Schneider Norman Christoph Schneider (9 December 1888 – 26 August 1985) was a Canadian politician and businessman. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Norman Schneider was the son of John Metz Schneider, the founder of Schneider Foods, now a division of Maple ...

. Dreger went on to be named president of the Progressive Conservative Women's Association of Canada in 1956. The same year, she was an organizer of the PC leadership convention where

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succeeded George A. Drew. She travelled frequently as part of her women's association duties working to raise awareness about the role of women in politics, which she juggled while running the family farm. She took over as homemaker at the farm after her mother died in 1957. In addition to her political involvements and realty career, Janzen was an active member of the Kitchener community. She was a charter member of the

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, served on the first board of the Ontario Pioneer Community Foundation and was on the Board of Governors of the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

from 1972 to 1975. Dreger was involved with the Kitchener Horticultural Society, serving at one point as president, and she was a member of the Benton Street Baptist Church. She also took on various executive positions within the local

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 ...

and served for a time as treasurer of the national branch of the organization. Dreger died in 1979.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreger, Elizabeth Jansen 1917 births 1979 deaths Politicians from Kitchener, Ontario Women in Ontario politics Burials at Woodland Cemetery, Kitchener, Ontario