Emery Oakland Barnes (December 15, 1929 – June 1, 1998) was a

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professional

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player and politician.

Background

Born in

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and moved to

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at the age of 12, Barnes was a gifted athlete, and was an alternate high jumper for the 1952 US Olympic Track and Field team. He played football at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

(from where he received his B.Sc) He emigrated to Canada in 1957. received a He studied at the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Social Work. Emery Barnes was selected by the

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in the 1954 NFL draft (10th round, 207th overall). He played two games for the Packers in 1956, but had much more success in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

with the B.C. Lions. He played 3 years, from 1962 to 1964, for a total of 30 games and was a Grey Cup champion in 1964 (though an injury prevented him from playing in the

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game).

Political career

Barnes worked as a social worker before entering politics. An unsuccessful candidate in the 1969 provincial election, he was first elected to the British Columbia legislature in 1972 along side former MLA Gary Lauk, and re-elected five consecutive times (1975,1979, 1983 etc.), he served the people of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

until 1996. Barnes and fellow NDP MLA Rosemary Brown were the first

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politicians elected to a legislative office in British Columbia in the 20th century. He was particularly concerned with issues relating to social justice, human rights, and poverty. Special pages Elected Speaker of the Legislature in 1994, Barnes was also the first black person to hold this position in any Canadian province. Special pages The city of Vancouver has named a park after him in his memory, Emery Barnes Park at 1100 Seymour Street. Barnes is buried in Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery, in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The headstone shows his full name as "Emery Oakland Barnes." Constance Barnes, his daughter, was an elected member of the Vancouver Park Board and stood for the 2015 federal election with the NDP in the riding of Vancouver Centre.

References

External links

Detailed Biography of Emery Barnes from University of Washington
(wayback machine) *Gail Ito
Barnes, Emery (1929-1998)
at blackpast.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Emery 1929 births 1998 deaths Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia BC Lions players Green Bay Packers players American football defensive linemen American emigrants to Canada Black Canadian sportsmen Black Canadian track and field athletes Black Canadian politicians Canadian people of African-American descent Canadian Protestants Canadian sportsperson-politicians Canadian social workers Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian football people from Vancouver Politicians from New Orleans Politicians from Vancouver Players of American football from New Orleans Players of Canadian football from New Orleans Players of American football from Oregon Oregon Ducks football players British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs University of British Columbia School of Social Work alumni University of Oregon alumni History of Black people in British Columbia 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen African-American history of Oregon Players of Canadian football from Oregon NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes Canadian male high jumpers 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 20th-century Canadian sportsmen