Sybil Bennett
| Sybil Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Halton | |
|
In office 1953–1956 | |
| Preceded by | Hughes Cleaver |
| Succeeded by | Charles Alexander Best |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 7, 1904 St. George, Ontario |
| Died |
November 12, 1956 |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Occupation | lawyer |
Sybil Bennett (February 7, 1904 – November 12, 1956) was a Canadian politician. She represented the electoral district of Halton in the House of Commons from 1953 until her death.
A member of the Progressive Conservative Party, Bennett first ran for election in the 1949 election, but was defeated by Liberal incumbent Hughes Cleaver. Cleaver did not run again in 1953, and Bennett won the riding over new Liberal candidate Murray McPhail.
Along with Margaret Aitken, Ellen Fairclough and Ann Shipley, she was one of four women elected to the House of Commons in 1953, only the second election in Canadian history in which more than one woman was elected to Parliament.
Bennett died at her home on November 12, 1956, and was the first female MP in Canada ever to die in office. No by-election was held following her death; she was succeeded by Charles Alexander Best in the 1957 election.
References
- 1 2 "Deaths" (PDF (Pages of the Past). The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto ON. 13 November 1956. p. 33. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- 1 2 Meadowvale Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History. Meadowvale, Toronto Township, Ontario: Meadowvale Women's Institute. 1956.; second volume, accessible at the Peel Art Gallery, Museum + Archives.