Shirley Theresa Dysart CM (''née'' Britt, February 22, 1928 – December 14, 2016) was an American-born Canadian teacher and a politician in the province of

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. She attained a number of "firsts" in New Brunswick politics. She was the first female Liberal in serve in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

, the first woman to serve as the leader of a party in the provincial Legislature (1985), the first woman to be

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

(1987–1991) and first woman to be

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

(1991–1995).

Early years

Shirley Theresa Britt was born into an Irish Catholic family in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

in 1928, the eldest of eight children born to Canadians Leslie John Britt and Mary Agnes (''née'' Donovan) Britt. Her parents were both born in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

, Canada, and in May 1927 they traveled to

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

to stay with a cousin. They returned to Canada when Shirley was still a baby, and she was followed by seven more children: Daniel, Raymond, Kenny, Shirley Joan, Anne, John and Gerald. She often cared for her younger siblings while her parents worked. Shirley and her siblings, fifth-generation residents of Saint John, grew up in Saint John's East Side in the Cathedral Parish, where they attended public schools and St. Vincent's High School. Upon graduating she studied at the New Brunswick Teachers' College and the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

. She was awarded a Beaverbrook Scholarship and studied at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

Career

After graduating college, Dysart taught at her high school alma mater, St. Vincent's High School in Saint John. In 1967 she became a member of the school board for District 20. She later served as chair of the board for three years, the first woman to hold the position. In

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

the leader of the Liberal Party, Bob Higgins, suggested she run for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick; she won the seat of Saint John North, becoming the first female Liberal, and second female of any party, to serve in the Legislative Assembly. In 1976, she served on the Bi-Centennial Celebration Committee for the Province of New Brunswick. Dysart was re-elected in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

and

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, holding her seat for twenty years. She remains the only Liberal politician to win five consecutive elections in Saint John. In 1985, she was appointed the interim Leader of the Opposition, becoming the first woman to serve as the Leader of a political party in New Brunswick. Following the 1987 election, she was appointed Minister of Education, becoming the first woman to hold the position. While serving as Minister of Education, she led the introduction of a province-wide universal, full-day public kindergarten program, becoming known as the "architect" of the province's kindergarten system. She was also responsible for a number of community projects in St. John, including the rebuilding of the

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...

. In 1991, Dysart was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the first woman to hold the position. She retired from politics in 1995, not seeking re-election in the general election of that year. In addition to her political career, Dysart held a number of community leadership positions. She was president of the Catholic Women's League Council, president of the University of New Brunswick Alumni Council, and a member of the board of governors of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. She served on the boards of the New Brunswick Music Festival, Theatre New Brunswick, the University of New Brunswick Alumni Council, Saint John Family Services, and the Irish-Canadian Cultural Association.

Honors and awards

In October 1996 Dysart was awarded an honorary LLD by the University of New Brunswick Saint John, and in 2000, she received a Red Cross Humanitarian Award. She was made a Member of the

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 ...

in 2004. In 2012 she was a recipient of 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 2015 she was named a Champion of Public Education by the national educational charity The Learning Partnership. She was also the recipient of the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, and the Paul Harris Fellowship from the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

of Saint John.

Personal life

Dysart was married to H. Eric Dysart and had one son, J. E. Britt Dysart. Dysart died "after a period of failing health" on December 14, 2016, at the age of 88. She was survived by her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, as well as two sisters, two brothers, and a large extended family. Following her death, flags at Saint John City Hall were flown at half-staff as a sign of respect.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dysart, Shirley 1928 births 2016 deaths New Brunswick Liberal Association MLAs Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Members of the Order of Canada Canadian people of American descent Canadian Roman Catholics Women government ministers of Canada Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick Women MLAs in New Brunswick Women legislative speakers Female Canadian political party leaders Canadian people of Irish descent Women opposition leaders 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick