The Rideau Club is a private social club in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. The club was founded in 1865 by Sir John A. Macdonald and

Sir George-Étienne Cartier ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in Fren ...

as a

gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...

, but since 1979 has been mixed-sex. For much of its history the club was populated primarily by parliamentarians. In 1876 the Rideau built its clubhouse at 84 Wellington Street, where it remained until the building burned down in 1979. Since the fire, the club has been located in the top floor of the Metropolitan Life Building at 99 Bank Street.

History

The club building, located for years across the street from the Parliament Buildings, burned down in October 1979. The club is now located on the top floor of a downtown office tower on Bank Street. At the time of the fire, the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

was attempting to expropriate the club's property to serve as part of a future U.S. embassy. It was reported to be the first club in Canada (and one of the first in North America) to disallow the use of the blackball tradition which allowed clubs to subtly discriminate against

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

potential members, after succumbing to pressure from Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

, among others, to admit

Louis Rasminsky Louis Rasminsky (February 1, 1908 – September 15, 1998) was a Canadian economist who served as the third governor of the Bank of Canada from 1961 to 1973, succeeding James Elliott Coyne, James Coyne. He was succeeded by Gerald Bouey. Bo ...

, Governor of the Bank of Canada.https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/stain+Canada+tolerant+history/7710997/story.html Similarly, in the 1970s, after seeing controversy over its all-male policy, the club allowed female members and at the same time removed restrictions on female guests. The lounge, located on the north side of the club, is named after its first female member,

Jean Pigott Jean Elizabeth Morrison Pigott (May 20, 1924 – January 10, 2012) was a Canadian politician and businesswoman. She served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Ottawa—Carleton from 1976 to 1979 as a member of the Progress ...

. She was accepted to the Rideau Club in 1979, the same year as the fire. Each room on the south side of the club is dedicated to a significant person in Canadian history. Most are named after former

prime ministers of Canada The prime minister of Canada is the official who serves as the primary minister of the Crown, chair of the Cabinet of Canada, Cabinet, and thus head of government of Canada. Twenty-four people (twenty-three men and one woman) have served as prim ...

, but one is named after

Yousuf Karsh Yousuf Karsh FRPS (December23, 1908July13, 2002) was an Armenian–Canadian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals. He has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century. An Armenian ge ...

. It is filled with famous portraits taken by him and left to the Rideau Club after his death.

Presidents

*1865-66 – Sir John A. Macdonald *1867-68 – Lt Col Hewitt Bernard *1869 –

George William Allan George William Allan, , (January 9, 1822 – July 24, 1901), was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 11th Mayor of Toronto and later as Speaker of the Senate of Canada. Life and career Born January 9, 1822, in York, Upper C ...

*1870-71 – Sir Richard John Cartwright *1872 – Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt *1873-78 – Joseph Merrill Currier *1879 –

Alonzo Wright Alonzo Wright (April 28, 1821January 7, 1894) was a Canadian member of Parliament and businessman commonly known as "King of the Gatineau". He was born in Hull, Quebec in 1821. He was a grandson of Philemon Wright, and son of Tiberius Wright. ...

*1880 – James Cockburn *1881 – Thomas Coltrin Keefer *1882-83 –

William Alexander Henry William Alexander Henry (December 30, 1816 – May 3, 1888) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge. He was one of the Fathers of Confederation and one of the first justices of the Supreme Court of Canada. Early life Henry was born o ...

*1884-85 – John Sweetland *1886 – Francis Clemow *1887 – John Alexander Gemmill *1888-90 – John Sweetland *1891-92 – Helier Vavasour Noel *1893 – Col Walker Powell *1894-95 – Charles Magee *1896-97 – Sir George Halsey Perley *1898-99 – John Christie *1900-01 – Col De la Cherois T. Irwin *1902-03 – C. Berkeley Powell *1904-05 – Dr Frederick Montizambert *1906-07 – F. W. Avery *1908-10 – Travers John Lewis *1911-13 – David M. Finnie *1914-22 – Robert Gill *1923-24 –

Sir Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and Conservative politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World ...

*1925-29 – J. A. Jackson *1930-31 – Col Cameron MacPherson Edwards *1932-34 – Hamnett Pinhey Hill *1935-36 – Charles G. Cowan *1937-38 – Col Henry Campbell Osborne *1939-41 – Oliver Mowat Biggar *1942-45 – Frederic Erskine Bronson *1946 – Kenneth A. Greene *1947-48 –

Duncan Kenneth MacTavish Duncan Kenneth MacTavish (August 3, 1899 – November 15, 1963) was a Canadian Senator. MacTavish was a millionaire and one of Canada's leading corporate lawyers."Still Seek Reason for Crash in which Senator MacTavish Died", ''Globe and Mail'', N ...

*1949-50 – John A. Aylen *1951-52 – Barry German *1953-54 – James Duncan Hyndman *1955-56 – Chalmers Jack Mackenzie *1957-59 – Ascanio-J. Major *1960-62 – Vice Adm

Harold Taylor Wood Grant Vice-Admiral Harold Taylor Wood Grant, (March 16, 1899 – May 8, 1965) was a Canadian naval officer and a post-war Chief of the Naval Staff. The son of Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, MacCallum Grant, Harold Grant entered the Royal Canadi ...

*1962-63 –

Douglas Abbott Douglas Charles Abbott (May 29, 1899 – March 15, 1987) was a Canadian Member of Parliament, federal Cabinet Minister, and justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Abbott's appointment directly from the Cabinet of Canada as Finance Minister to ...

*1964-65 – Rear Adm Wallace Bourchier Creery *1965-67 – Charles C. Gale *1967 – Adam Hartley Zimmerman *1968-69 –

*1969-70 – A. Davidson Dunton *1970-72 –

*1972-73 – Cuthbert Scott *1974-75 – Ernest D. Lafferty *1976-77 – Stewart F. M. Wotherspoon *1978-89 – James Ross *1980-81 –

Guy Roberge Guy Roberge (January 26, 1915 – June 21, 1991) was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician and civil servant. He also served as Canada's Government Film Commissioner during the 1950s and 60s, in which capacity he ran the National Film Board ...

*1982-83 – Denis Coolican *1984-85 – Angus C. Morrison *1986 – Air Marshal

Hugh Lester Campbell Air Marshal Hugh Lester Campbell, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Canadian Forces' Decoration, CD (July 13, 1908 – May 25, 1987) was a Canadian air marshal in the Royal Canadian Air Force and then a politician for Northwest Territories, Cana ...

*1987-88 –

William Hector McMillan William Hector McMillan (24 January 1892 – 8 September 1974) was a Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Blenheim, Ontario and became a physician by career. He was first elected at the Welland riding in a 16 ...

*1989-90 – Hon John J. Urie *1991-92 – Michael L. Phelan *1993-94 – Anthony M. P. Tattersfield *1995-96 – M. Patrick Gillin *1997-98 – John M. Scott *1999-2000 – Maj Gen Ernest B. Creber *2001-02 – Michael Baylin *2003-04 – Robert J. Buchan *2005-07 – Meriel V. M. Beament Bradford *2007-09 – Paul Labbé *2009-11 – Peter B. M. Hyde *2011-13 –

Nik Nanos Nikita James "Nik" Nanos (born 1964) is a Canadian public opinion pollster, entrepreneur, public speaker, author, and expert in political, business and social trends. Early life and education The son of Greek immigrants, he grew up in Trent ...

*2013-15 – Norman Sabourin *2015-17 – Josephine A. L. Palumbo *2017-19 – J. Paul Hession *2019-21 – Suzanne Corbeil *2021-22 – Janet Thorsteinson *2022 – Jane Brydges

Club histories

* Little, Charles. '' The Rideau Club, a Short History: The First Hundred Years, 1895–1965.'' Rideau Club, 1965. * Lynch, Charles. '' Up from the Ashes: The Rideau Club Story.'' University of Ottawa Press, 1990. * McCreery, Christopher. '' Savoir Faire, Savoir Vivre: Rideau Club 1865–2015.'' Dundurn Press, 2015.

References

;

External links

{{Coord, 45.42023, N, 75.70023, W, display=title Buildings and structures in Ottawa Burned buildings and structures in Canada Gentlemen's clubs in Canada Politics of Canada Politics of Ontario

History

Presidents

Club histories

See also

References

External links