Frances Sloat (née O'Rourke; July 28, 1928 – November 21, 2017) was a politician in
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. She was the mayor of
Ancaster from 1973 to 1984, and the
Progressive Conservative member of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
from 1984 to 1985. She was elected in a by-election in December 1984, but was defeated six months later in the
1985 provincial election. During her time as MPP the legislature was not in session.
Background
Frances Sloat, nicknamed "Ann", was born in
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River within Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2016 population of 31,465 in a land area of . Stratford is the seat of Perth County, which was settled by English, Irish, Scottish and German im ...
, and was educated in that city and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
. She graduated from
Hamilton General Hospital
The Hamilton General Hospital (HGH) is a major teaching hospital in Downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, located at the intersection of Barton Street East and Victoria Avenue North. It is operated by Hamilton Health Sciences and is formally affili ...
, School of Nursing in 1951. She and her husband Donald, who died in 1978, raised six children.
Politics
Sloat was a school trustee in
Ancaster, and chaired the
Wentworth County Board of Education from 1971 to 1972.
From 1973 to 1984, she served as the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of Ancaster.
Sloat campaigned for the Ontario legislature in the
1981 provincial election, and lost to
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
incumbent
Eric Cunningham
Eric Gordon Cunningham (April 14, 1949 – January 1, 2015) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1984.
Background
Cunningham was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and educated ...
by 4,220 votes in
Wentworth North
Wentworth North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1896. It was located near the city of Hamilton in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867. The "N ...
.
Cunningham resigned his seat in 1984, and Sloat contested a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
to succeed him in December of the same year. She was successful, defeating Liberal
Chris Ward by 169 votes.
[ She took the oath of office as a Member of Provincial Parliament in January 1985, and immediately endorsed ]Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil (Marvel Comics ser ...
to become the party's new leader at a February leadership convention {{Politics of Canada
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.
Overview
In Canada, leaders of a party generally rem ...
.
Miller won the party leadership, and did not re-convene the legislature before calling another provincial election. This time, Ward defeated Sloat by 5,168 votes amid a provincial swing to the Liberals.
Later life
Sloat was also a member of the Ancaster Hydro Commission for eleven years. In 2001, she was listed as a corporate officer of the Hamilton Utilities Corporation.
She died on November 21, 2017, at the age of 89. Earlier in the year, the town of Ancaster named the plaza in front of the town hall in Sloat's honour.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sloat, Ann
1928 births
2017 deaths
Mayors of places in Ontario
People from Stratford, Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs
Women MPPs in Ontario