Lincoln Goldie

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Lincoln Goldie
LincolnGoldieMP.png
Ontario MPP
In office
1923–1931
Preceded byCaleb Henry Buckland
Succeeded byDuncan Paul Munro
ConstituencyWellington South
Personal details
Born(1864-11-11)November 11, 1864
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
DiedSeptember 19, 1931(1931-09-19) (aged 66)
Wellington, Ontario, Canada
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Estelle A. Bricker
OccupationMiller

Lincoln Goldie (November 11, 1864 [1] – September 19, 1931)[2] was an industrialist and politician in Ontario, Canada. He represented Wellington South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1923 to 1931 as a Conservative member. He served as Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario, the equivalent of Deputy Premier, in the government of Howard Ferguson.[3]

Background[]

Goldie was born in Guelph, Ontario in 1864, one of five sons of James Goldie and Frances Owen. His father was the son of John Goldie, a prominent botanist, and had been one of the leading flour manufacturers in the province as president of the James Goldie Co. Limited and of the Ontario Millers’ Association.[4] James was also a perennial candidate of the Conservative Party, having unsuccessfully contested the federal riding of Wellington South in five elections. Goldie's brother was Thomas Goldie, an early promoter of field sports in Ontario who served as Mayor of Guelph from 1891 to 1892.

Having been educated at Guelph, Goldie served for many years as manager of the James Goldie Co. Limited established by his father. As a representative of the company, Goldie was present at several conferences organized in 1902 by E. W. B. Snider and Daniel B. Detweiler to draft a report to the Ontario government on the benefits of making hydroelectric power generated at Niagara Falls available to the rest of the province.[5] These efforts eventually led to the organization of Ontario Hydro in 1906 following the election of James Whitney as premier. During the First World War, he was a member of the Dominion Wheat Board.[6] Having retired from the company in 1918, The Globe recorded that "it was partly due to the tremendous popularity that he gained in his business associations that he achieved such great success when he entered politics a few years later."[7]

In 1902, Goldie was married to Estelle A. Bricker at Guelph. They had a son, James, and a daughter, Margaret, who married neurologist Herbert Jasper.[8]

Political career[]

In the 1923 Ontario general election, Goldie was elected to represent Wellington South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Conservative Party. A week after the election, Howard Ferguson asked Goldie to become a member of his cabinet as Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario, a position he held from 1923 to 1930.[6] As a member of the Ferguson cabinet, Goldie sat on several standing committees throughout his tenure, including the standing committees on Municipal Law, Agriculture and Colonization, Privileges and Elections, and Game and Fish.[3] In 1924, two officials of the Provincial Secretary's Department were dismissed by Goldie and each charged with the theft of $1000 of public funds.[9] In February 1926, an investigation conducted by Goldie estimated that millions in public funds had been lost to theft in the previous 20 years.[10]

As Provincial Secretary, Goldie was primarily involved in the management of provincial civic institutions, namely hospitals, insane asylums and prisons. As chairman of the Social Service Council, he spoke of his "personal interest in the case of the feeble-minded," stating that the Ferguson government would do everything in its power to solve the problem of providing adequate care to those with mental illness.[11] On November 27, 1924, Goldie officially opened a new $3,500,000 civic hospital in Ottawa.[12] The following year, Goldie presided over the opening ceremony of the Canadian Red Cross Hospital, also at Ottawa.[13] In 1927, Goldie implemented a program that included the organization of a dental service for all provincial inmates in addition to the training of occupational therapists for work in prisons.[14] Furthermore, following the case of a priest who had been wrongly admitted to an insane asylum, Goldie also took the initiative of appointing independent visiting committees that would conduct monthly inspections of provincial insane asylums to ensure they were not taking in sane patients. These committees were first implemented in Hamilton and were to be made up of "leading citizens", with Goldie stating the government's objective of fostering a sympathetic link between the public and insane asylums to ensure that no wrongful admittances would occur in the future.[15] That same year, Goldie was sued by a Mr. W. E. Bastedo for $100,000 in damages for comments allegedly made to a Toronto paper about Mr. Bastedo's arrest and detention in a psychopathic institution.[16]

Following a period of ill health, Goldie resigned the position of Provincial Secretary on September 14, 1930. Having kept his seat in the legislature, Goldie died in office on September 19, 1931 at the age of 66.[17]

Cabinet positions[]

Ontario provincial government of Howard Ferguson
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Harry Nixon Provincial Secretary and Registrar
1923-1930
Leopold Macaulay

References[]

  1. ^ Normandin, A L (1931). Canadian Parliamentary Guide 1931.
  2. ^ Thorning, Stephen. "Career of promising young MPP ended in 1934 car crash". Wellington Advertiser. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Lincoln Goldie, MPP". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  4. ^ "James Goldie — Guelph Historical Society". www.guelphhistoricalsociety.ca. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Uttley, W. V. (2000). A History of Kitchener, Ontario. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. pp. 339–342.
  6. ^ a b "Honorable Lincoln Goldie Is Ardent Baseball Fan". The Morning Leader. June 16, 1928. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "HON. LINCOLN GOLDIE TO BE BURIED TODAY; GUELPH IN MOURNING: Former Provincial Secretary Passes After Short Illness LONG SERVED HIS CITY". The Globe. September 21, 1931. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Margaret Goldie Jasper (1907-1982) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "TWO CIVIL SERVANTS ARE UNDER ARREST ON CHARGE OF THEFT: E. V. Donnelly and Harold Thomas Had Been in Secretary's Department BOTH ADMITTED TO BAIL". The Globe. April 29, 1924. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "Millions Are Stolen From Province". The Border Cities' Star. February 6, 1926. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  11. ^ "MORE INSTITUTIONS FOR AFFLICTED ONES SOON TO BE BUILT: Hon. Lincoln Goldie Tells Social Service Workers of Ontario's Plans REMEDY FOR DEFECTIVES". The Globe. June 25, 1924.
  12. ^ "Ottawa's New Civic Hospital is Formally Declared Open by the Provincial Secretary". The Ottawa Evening Citizen. November 27, 1924. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "Hon. L. Goldie Opens Red Cross Hospital". The Ottawa Evening Citizen. November 10, 1925. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Dental Service at Prisons is Planned: Goldie Announces New Program". The Border Cities' Star. September 16, 1927. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  15. ^ "Hospitals for Insane Are to Be Thrown Open To Visiting Committees". The Globe. November 11, 1927. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  16. ^ "Hon. Lincoln Goldie Sued For $100,000". The Vancouver Sun. October 21, 1927. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "Former Cabinet Minister Called". The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. September 19, 1931. Retrieved November 14, 2021.

External links[]

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