Marjorie May Hamilton (1898 - December 27, 1990) was a

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politician, who served as mayor of

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

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from 1950 to 1952."Cutter Ride Celebrates Barrie Widow's Election as First Woman Mayor". ''

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'', December 12, 1950. She was the first woman ever to serve as Barrie's mayor, and one of the earliest women elected as a mayor in all of Ontario. A grandmother and widow, Hamilton served for three years as an alderman on the town council and was active in the local chapter of the

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before being elected mayor in the 1950 municipal election. Early in her term, Hamilton presided over a municipal celebration and parade after the

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won the 1951

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. She also served on the board of the Association of Ontario Mayors and Reeves and the

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Advisory Council. During the 1952 municipal election, Hamilton became engaged in a public dispute with city clerk and treasurer L. R. Barrand, who tendered his resignation from the city after opposing her plan to separate his position into two distinct job titles to be held by two different people."Barrie Mayor-Clerk Feud Seen Chief Election Issue". ''

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'', November 21, 1952. Council refused to accept Barrand's resignation, or Hamilton's plan. The dispute led councillor James W. Hart to register in the mayoral election against Hamilton, who until that point had been running unopposed. Hart defeated Hamilton in the election. Hamilton was later appointed as head of

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's juvenile and family courts. She had not previously worked as a lawyer, but was chosen for the position because of her past work in public service and social welfare."Terms Women Judges Best in Family Court". ''

'', October 23, 1965. At a provincial conference of the Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges of Ontario in 1965, she stated in a speech that having been mothers of children gave women a unique advantage in family and juvenile judgeships. She died on December 27, 1990, at the

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."Deaths". ''

'', December 28, 1990.

Works

*'' Pirates and Pathfinders'', authored text of elementary school textbook

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Marjorie 1898 births 1990 deaths Mayors of Barrie Women mayors of places in Ontario Judges in Ontario Canadian women judges 20th-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario