William Kenneth Warrender (August 5, 1908 – April 6, 1997) was a Canadian politician, who represented

Hamilton Centre Hamilton Centre (french: Hamilton-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. History It was created in 2003 from parts of Hamilton East, Hamil ...

in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1951 to 1962 as a Progressive Conservative member. Prior to his service in the Legislature, Warrender was a lawyer and civic politician in

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 ...

Early life and political career

Warrender was born in Stoney Creek, Ontario in 1908. He attended the Hamilton Collegiate Institute, followed by post-secondary studies at both

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

and

Osgoode Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the '' Osgoode Hall L ...

. Practicing as a lawyer in Hamilton, Warrender's first foray into politics saw him elected to

Hamilton, Ontario City Council Hamilton City Council is the governing body of the City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Since 21 November 1960, Council has met at Hamilton City Hall at 71 Main Street West. The current council consists of the mayor In many countries, a mayor ...

in 1940 as an alderman for Ward Two. He served in this position for two terms until the beginning of the Second World War. After the beginning of hostilities, Warrender joined the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

where he served as a Flight Lieutenant. Following his return from Europe, Warrender attempted a political comeback, but was defeated in Hamilton's 1944 municipal election. After winning an acclamation to City Council in 1945, Warrender served four terms as Ward Two's alderman before being elected to Hamilton's Board of Control in 1949. In 1950, he was re-elected and, after securing the greatest number of votes amongst the four Controllers, also served as the City's Vice-Mayor.

Provincial offices

First elected in the general election in 1951, Warrender was re-elected in the provincial general elections in 1955 and 1959, serving in three majority Progressive Conservative governments under Premiers

Leslie Frost Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...

and

John Robarts John Parmenter Robarts (January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th premier of Ontario from 1961 to 1971. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Early life Robar ...

. In his first term, he served on as many as five Standing Committees of the Legislative Assembly simultaneously, until being appointed as the Minister of Planning and Development on January 20, 1953. After his second election, he was appointed as a Minister without Portfolio on August 17, 1955 and he served in that role until November 1, 1956, at which time he was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs. He served in that role until November 8, 1961 at which time he became

Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

. Warrender retired from office on November 21, 1962 at which time he was given the appointment of Provincial Judge. He served as a Small Claims Court and then District Court Judge for 21 years.

Legacy

While serving as an MPP, Warrender was instrumental in the expansion of Mohawk College in Hamilton, and served as the institution's founding Chairman. In recognition of his work, Mohawk College awards the "W.K. Warrender Award" annually for distinguished contributions to student affairs. Warrender was involved in many local institutions following his retirement from politics, such as aiding in the founding of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Additionally, he served on the boards of the Hamilton Automobile Club, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Royal Hamilton Military Institute, and the Presidents' Club at McMaster University. In recognition of his public service, Warrender was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from

in 1962. Warrender was a father of two who lived in Hamilton until his death in 1997 at 88 from pneumonia.Lisa Marr, "Warrender gave lifetime of service: 'No one matches political career'," ''Hamilton Spectator'', April 9, 1997, News, A5.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Warrender, William Kenneth 1908 births 1997 deaths Hamilton, Ontario city councillors Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs