Wilma Helen Hunley (September 6, 1920 – October 22, 2010) was a Canadian politician and the 12th

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the viceregal representative in Alberta of the . The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the m ...

, the first woman to serve in that post.

Early life

She was born in

Acme, Alberta Acme is a village in south-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary. It was the first village to be incorporated in Kneehill County. The name ''Acme'' is derived from the village's railway heritage. When the Canadian Pacific ...

, to James Edgar Hunley and Esta May Hunley. She first worked as an operator, served overseas in the Army Corp during World War II and eventually owned and operated an

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

franchise and an insurance business.

Political career

Hunley served as a town councilor from 1960 to 1966 and then mayor of

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David T ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

from 1966 to 1971. Hunley was elected to the province's legislative assembly as a Progressive Conservative. She was the province's

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

minister serving as

Minister Without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet ...

from 1971 to 1973, Solicitor-General from 1973 to 1975 and then Minister of Social Services and Community Health from 1975 until 1979 when she retired from politics. In June, 1980, Hunley was appointed chair of the Alberta Mental Health Advisory Council. She also served on the Alberta 75th Anniversary Commission. Hunley became president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta in 1984 and, in 1985, was appointed by

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Jeanne Sauvé Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé (; April 26, 1922 – January 26, 1993) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as Governor General of Canada, the 23rd since Canadian Confederation. Sauvé was born in Prud'homme, Saskatchewan, and educate ...

, on the advice of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political s ...

, to the position of lieutenant-governor. She served in the position until 1991. In 1992, she was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

Arms

References

Bibliography

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunley, Helen 1920 births 2010 deaths Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Lieutenant Governors of Alberta Officers of the Order of Canada Women MLAs in Alberta Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Canadian women viceroys Women government ministers of Canada