Jean Newman on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Jean Dorothy Newman (1905 in
Newman had always been interested in public service. She was a trustee of the Board of Education from 1951 to 1954. In 1954, she moved to city council where she served in Ward 9 in 1955 and 1956. In 1956, Newman was elected to the Board of Control as the budget chief, she was the first woman to do so. In the 1 958 Toronto municipal election; she announced her intention to run for mayor of Toronto, challenging, then incumbent, Nathan Phillips. In 1960 mayoral election, Newman placed third behind Phillips and former mayor of Toronto
Née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Reading – October 4, 1971) was a municipal politician in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, 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 vice-chairman of the Toronto Board of Control The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provin ...
and president of the Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022.
Structure
The cur ...
. She was the first woman elected to Toronto’s Board of Control and the first woman to run for Mayor of Toronto
The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits. While in ...
.
Family and personal life
Early life and education
Jean Dorothy Newman was born in 1905 atEl Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
. Her father, W. G. Reading was a chief dispatcher for the Southern Pacific Railway. Her mother, Mrs. W. G. Reading, was a business woman who specialized in real estate. Newman's maternal grandfather, Donald Mackay Gordon, emigrated to Canada from Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. He served as Mayor of Wingham and built the first brick house in Listowel
Listowel ( ; , IPA: ˆlʲɪsË ËˆtÌªË uÉ™hÉ™lʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...
.
When Newman was three months old, the family relocated to Toronto, where they resided on Rushmore Road. She attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute
Oakwood Collegiate Institute (commonly known as OCI or Oakwood) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the neighbourhoods of Regal Heights, Oakwood-Vaughan and Bracondale Hill.
History and Alumni
Oakwood was fou ...
as her secondary school, and the University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
for post secondary education, where she majored in arts. She had always been interested in religious and charity organizations. She had presided over multiple associations within the university, such as the Home and School Association, the University College Alumnae, St. George’s United Church WMS, and she was on the board of the United Church of Training School.
Personal life
In 1925, she married T. Campbell Newman, who was majoring in chemistry at University of Toronto. They went on to have two kids, George and Margaret. In her free time, she made oil paintings. She had multiple exhibitions, and her house is home to a collection of both her own work and that of other Canadian artists. She had always been a very proficient public speaker, winning gold and silver medals in public speaking competitions.Political career
Newman had always been interested in public service. She was a trustee of the Board of Education from 1951 to 1954. In 1954, she moved to city council where she served in Ward 9 in 1955 and 1956. In 1956, Newman was elected to the Board of Control as the budget chief, she was the first woman to do so. In the 1 958 Toronto municipal election; she announced her intention to run for mayor of Toronto, challenging, then incumbent, Nathan Phillips. In 1960 mayoral election, Newman placed third behind Phillips and former mayor of Toronto Allan Lamport
Allan Austin Lamport, (April 4, 1903 – November 18, 1999) was mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 1951 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue laws which banned virtually any activ ...
. In 1962, she ran as a Liberal candidate in by-election for the riding of Eglinton. The riding leaned towards the tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
party, and Newman lost to Progressive Conservative Leonard Mackenzie ReillyFormer Alderman and Controller, Ms. Jean Newman dies at 66." ''Toronto Star.'' October 6, 1971.
Later life and death
After the loss of the By election, Newman retired from politics and focused her attention on charitable work. In 1968, her husband died and in 1970, she got remarried to Ian Urquhart, taking on the name Jean Newman-Urquhart. Newman died a year later, in 1971 from a stroke. She was 66.References