Dorothy Mary Wyatt (née Fanning;"Obituaries: Wyatt, Dorothy Mary (nee Fanning)". ''

The Telegram ''The Telegram'' is a daily newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays (as ''The Weekend Telegram'') in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. History ''The Evening Telegram'' was first published on April 3, 1879 by William James Herde ...

'', September 24, 2001. 1925–2001) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, who was mayor of St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

from 1973 to 1981Melvin Baker, "St. John's Municipal Chairmen and Mayors, 1888-1988". ''Newfoundland Quarterly'', Vol. LXXX1V, No. 1, Summer 1988, pp. 5-11. and the city's first female mayor.J. M. Sullivan, ''Newfoundland Portfolio: A History in Portraits''. Breakwater Books, 2006. .

Biography

Wyatt first worked as a secretary, meeting her husband Donald Wyatt while working for

American Overseas Airlines American Overseas Airlines (AOA) was an airline that operated between the United States and Europe between 1945 and 1950. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. History American Export Airlines (AEA), commonly known as Am E ...

in Gander. She later returned to

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

to study nursing. Wyatt first won election to

St. John's City Council St. John's City Council has been the governing body of the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 1888, St. John's city council has governed under the Colony of Newfoundland, the Dominion of Newfoundland and since 1949, Canada. Th ...

in 1969 as the city's first female councilor. She ran for the mayoralty in 1973, winning the election and serving two terms in office. Her term as mayor was marked by accomplishments including the city's hosting of the

Canada Summer Games The Canada Games (french: Jeux du Canada) is a multi-sport event held every two years, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. They represent the highest level of national competition for Canadian athletes. Two ...

in 1977, a shift from rental-value to capital-value municipal tax assessment, the adoption of a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

system for city council elections, and the construction of many of the city's modern office buildings. Wyatt was defeated by

John Joseph Murphy John Joseph Murphy Former Mayor of St. John’s, NL (September 24, 1922 – December 15, 2010 ) was a businessman and politician, and the 11th mayor of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Born the son of John Murphy and Gertrude Wadden in St. Jo ...

in the 1981 election. She was later reelected as a councillor at large in 1985, and remained a sitting member of city council until her death;"1990-2009 City Councils"
City of St. John's. she died just two days before the city's 2001 municipal election, and was posthumously reelected to her seat on September 25. 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 ...

was held on November 27 of that year, and was won by Sandy Hickman. She was a candidate for provincial office twice, running as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate in St. John's Centre and later for the leadership of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The party was founded in 1949 and most recently formed the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador from the 20 ...

in the party's 1979 leadership convention. In the PC race, she garnered no votes. She didn't vote for herself, admitting that she had run more "to shake things up" than out of a serious desire to actually lead the party, and was eliminated on the first ballot.

Public image

Wyatt revelled in a quirky and offbeat public image, once telling a reporter that she hoped to be classified "as a freak, I suppose".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, Dorothy 1925 births 2001 deaths Mayors of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Women mayors of places in Newfoundland and Labrador Politicians elected posthumously Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Newfoundland and Labrador municipal councillors 20th-century Canadian women politicians