Lewis, Daurene Elaine

  • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: See full biography at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daurene_Lewis
  • Wiki Biography:
    • Daurene Elaine Lewis, CM (September 9, 1943 – January 26, 2013), was a Canadian politician and educator. She was the first Black female mayor in Canada.
    • Born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia in 1943, Lewis was a descendant of freed Loyalist African Americans who settled in Annapolis Royal in 1783. She was a descendant of Rose Fortune, a Virginian who became the first female police officer in North America.
    • Lewis first formal political involvement was in 1979, running for town council in Annapolis Royal. Her issues included increasing awareness of the area’s history, and attempts at community revitalization. She was appointed as deputy mayor in 1982  working alongside Mayor George Richardson.
    • In 1984, Lewis was elected mayor of Annapolis Royal, making her the first female black mayor in Canada.
    • Lewis attempted to enter provincial politics in the 1988 election, making an unsuccessful bid to represent Annapolis West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for the Liberal Party. She was the first black woman in Nova Scotia to run in a provincial election.
    • In 1994 Lewis was added to the Black Cultural Centre Wall of Honour. In 1995, she was recipient of the United Nations Global Citizenship Award. In 1998 she received the Progress Club of Halifax Woman of Excellence award for Public Affairs and Communication. In 2002, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada and received the YWCA volunteer award. She received both the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
    • In 2018, the Annapolis Royal town hall plaza was named after Lewis in a ceremony in which a bronze bust by sculptor Ruth Abernethy was unveiled.
  • Fourth Great Granddaughter of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=10498
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/233842898/daurene-elaine-lewis?