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Canadian politician (1875–1957) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walter Ritchie Rollo (November 25, 1875 – March 13, 1957) was a Canadian trade unionist and politician in the early 20th century, and was a cabinet Minister in the United Farmers of Ontario - Labour coalition government from 1919 to 1923.
Walter Ritchie Rollo | |
|---|---|
Rollo in 1919 photograph | |
| MPP for Hamilton West | |
| In office October 20, 1919 – October 5, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | John Allan |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Campbell Garden |
| Minister of Labour for Ontario | |
| In office November 14, 1919 – July 16, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Forbes Elliott Godfrey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 25, 1875 Linlithgowshire, Scotland |
| Died | March 13, 1957 (aged 81) Michigan, US[citation needed] |
| Resting place | Woodland Cemetery, Hamilton Section 23 W 1/2, 43.286312°N 79.881421°W |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Labour Party of Canada |
| Spouse | Margaret Bell |
Born in Linlithgowshire, Scotland in 1875,[1] he emigrated to Canada in 1883[2] and was a broom-maker in Hamilton, Ontario by 1899.[3] He married Margaret Bell of Berlin, Ontario in the same year.[4]
When the 9lst Regiment Canadian Highlanders was formed in Hamilton in 1903, Rollo enlisted and rose over time to become its colour sergeant.[5]
Rollo was secretary of the Hamilton Trades and Labour Council from 1906 to 1919.[6] In 1919, he also became editor of the Labor News, a Hamilton-based union paper.[7]
Rollo was involved in politics at all levels. In 1916, he was appointed as a member of Ontario's Organization of Resources Committee which was established to improve Canada's war effort in the Province.[8] He had also been a member of the Board of Education in Hamilton for several years.[5][9]
In 1907, Rollo was elected as the President of the newly formed Independent Labour Party,[10][11] and would become its leader in 1917.[12][10] He stood for election in Hamilton West in the following campaigns:
He and Morrison Mann MacBride were instrumental in negotiating a coalition government between the Independent Labour Party and the United Farmers of Ontario under E.C. Drury,[15] which lasted until 1923. As a result of those negotiations, the ILP had the right to nominate two of its members to the new government: Rollo became the Province's first Minister of Labour—a position that had been created immediately before the election by the previous Conservative government of William Hearst[16]—and Harry Mills became the first Minister of Mines.[17][18] This caused a confrontation within the ILP, as MacBride had sought to be nominated to the Labour position.[19][20]
During his time as Minister, Rollo brought in several enhancements to Ontario's labour laws:[21]
After his defeat in the 1923 general election, Rollo was appointed as an adolescent school inspector for the City of Hamilton,[27] and he was still working as a school attendance officer there in 1938,[28] and as a part-time school assessment adviser in 1950.[26] He died in 1957.[29]
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