Walter Rollo
Walter Ritchie Rollo | |
---|---|
Rollo (at right) in 1955, with last surviving members of the 1919-1923 coalition | |
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 |
Linlithgowshire, Scotland | November 25, 1875
Died |
March 13, 1957 81) Michigan, USA | (aged
Resting place |
Woodland Cemetery, Hamilton[1] Section 23 W 1/2, 43°17′11″N 79°52′53″W / 43.286312°N 79.881421°W |
Nationality | Canadian |
Political party | Labour Party of Canada |
Spouse(s) | Margaret Bell |
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.
Early life
Born in Linlithgowshire, Scotland in 1875,[2] he emigrated to Canada in 1883[3] and was a broom-maker in Hamilton, Ontario by 1899.[4] He married Margaret Bell of Berlin, Ontario in the same year.[5]
When the 9lst Regiment Canadian Highlanders was formed in Hamilton in 1903, Rollo enlisted and rose over time to become its colour sergeant.[6]
Labour leader
Rollo was secretary of the Hamilton Trades and Labour Council from 1906 to 1919.[7] In 1919, he also became editor of the Labor News, a Hamilton-based union paper.[8]
Political career
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.[9] He had also been a member of the Board of Education in Hamilton for several years.[6][10]
In 1907, Rollo was elected as the President of the newly formed Independent Labour Party,[11][12] and would become its leader in 1917.[13][11] He stood for election in Hamilton West in the following campaigns:
- in the Ontario 1914 general election, which he lost by only 39 votes,[7]
- in the federal 1917 general election, where he came in second,[14]
- in the Ontario 1919 general election, which he won. In his campaign, signs were posted that read: "Your Vote for Walter Rollo is a nail in the coffin of the profiteer."[15]
He, together with Morrison Mann MacBride, was instrumental in negotiating a coalition government between the Independent Labour Party and the United Farmers of Ontario under E.C. Drury,[16] 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, and Harry Mills became the first Minister of Mines.[17] This caused a confrontation within the ILP, as MacBride had sought to be nominated to the Labour position.[18][19]
During his time as Minister, Rollo brought in several enhancements to Ontario's labour laws:[20]
- the Minimum Wage Act, which set minimum wages for female employees,[21]
- the One Day's Rest in Seven Act, which provided (with certain exceptions) that employees were entitled to 24 consecutive hours of rest every seven days,[22]
- improvements to workmen's compensation benefits[23][24]
Aftermath
After his defeat in the 1923 general election, Rollo was appointed as an adolescent school inspector for the City of Hamilton,[25] and he was still working as a school attendance officer there in 1938,[26] and as a part-time school assessment adviser in 1950.[24] He died in 1957.[27]
Further reading
- Bill Freeman (1979). "Hamilton Labour: The failure of an opposition group". In Bill Freeman; Marsha Hewitt. Their Town: The Mafia, the Media and the Party Machine. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company. pp. 38–61. ISBN 0-88862-266-X.
- James Naylor (1991). The New Democracy: Challenging the Social Order in Industrial Ontario, 1914-1925. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-5953-8.
- Roger Hall; William Westfall; Laurel Sefton MacDowell, eds. (1996). "The Decline of Labourism". Patterns of the Past: Interpreting Ontario's History. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002034-X.
References
- ↑ "Walter Ritchie Rollo". findagrave.com.
- ↑ "Walter Ritchie Rollo, 'Scotland Census, 1881'". Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "1911 Canada Census abstract". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "An Expert on Brooms". The Morning Leader. August 26, 1922. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Walter R Rolo, 'Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927'". Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- 1 2 "Rollo Has Faith, Works And An Unabashful Disposition". The Morning Leader. December 6, 1919. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- 1 2 Hall, Westfall & Sefton MacDowell 1996, p. 298.
- ↑ Naylor 1991, p. 68.
- ↑ "The Crisis - 1918". Toronto: Organization of Resources Committee. March 1918.
- ↑ "Rollo Likely To Lead Labor In Elections". Toronto Daily Star. October 29, 1917. p. 2.
- 1 2 Naylor 1991, p. 96.
- ↑ "New Labour Party". Montreal Gazette. March 30, 1907. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ Freeman & Hewitt 1979, p. 39.
- ↑ "HAMILTON WEST (1917/12/17)". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ Naylor 1991, p. 126.
- ↑ "Labor Party Decides to Join with United Farmers". The Globe. October 27, 1919. p. 1.
- ↑ "Mines Portfolio Of No Account". Toronto World. November 12, 1919. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Never Considered Cabinet Seat". Toronto World. October 31, 1919. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Says M'Bride Wanted Post in Ontario Cabinet". The Morning Leader. January 27, 1920. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ↑ "History of Employment Standards in Ontario". Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ↑ The Minimum Wage Act, S.O. 1920, c. 87
- ↑ The One Day's Rest in Seven Act, 1922, S.O. 1922, c. 93
- ↑ The Workmen's Compensation Act, 1920, S.O. 1920, c. 43
- 1 2 "Act He Helped Draw Up No Help To Ex-Minister". Ottawa Citizen. August 29, 1950. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ Gil O'Mourne (February 23, 1924). "Drury and Ex-Ministers Have 'Broadened Out', Farming No Longer Chief Interest Of Cabinet". The Morning Leader. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
- ↑ "Where They've Gone". Vancouver Sun. November 29, 1938. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- ↑ "Former Minister Dies". Lethbridge Herald. March 14, 1957.