Sheila Ann Martin (née Cowan; born July 31, 1943) is the wife of

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son o ...

, who served as the 21st

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...

from December 12, 2003 to February 6, 2006. Her father was William "Bill" Cowan, a lawyer and philanthropist from

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...

. She was named after her mother. Sheila was raised

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, and graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

in 1964. She and Paul were neighbours and her father was law partners with Paul Martin Sr in

. They were engaged over Christmas in 1964 and married on September 11, 1965. They have three sons: Paul William Martin III (born September 11, 1966), Jamie Robert Martin (born June 21, 1969), and David Patrick Martin (born September 13, 1974). A

Canada Steamship Lines Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) is a shipping company with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The business has been operating for well over a century and a half. Beginnings CSL had humble beginnings in Canada East in 1845, operating river b ...

ship, ''Sheila Ann'', is named in her honour. Before her husband became the Prime Minister of Canada, Sheila Martin's work in Ottawa included serving on a committee called Politics and the Pen, and on this committee she helped give prizes and money to Canadian writers. The job was said to fit with her "own literary tastes."John Gray, ''Paul Martin: The Power of Ambition'', Key Porter Books, 2003, p. 71. In 2002, when Paul Martin left the cabinet, he credited her as a support to him and as an advisor: :''Third, I want to thank the many friends who called or sent messages in recent days. I'm enriched by their friendship and their support. In that respect, I want to thank above all others Sheila and my family for their patience and their advice.''CBC.ca,
Text of Paul Martin's statement
" June 3, 2002, URL accessed December 19, 2006. Throughout these years, Sheila Martin apparently had little aspirations in regards to her husband's office. Her husband's biographer John Gray quoted her as saying, "Oh, God, I don't want to do this at all, so I just don't think about it."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Sheila 1943 births Canadian Protestants Living people

Sheila Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, mean ...

People from Windsor, Ontario Spouses of prime ministers of Canada University of Toronto alumni

See also

References