| Thelma Forbes | |
 | |
| Birth: | 26 September 1910 Manitou, Manitoba, Canada |
| Death: | 5 January 2012 Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada |
| Age: | 101 years, 101 days |
| Country: |  CAN
|
| Centenarian | |
Thelma Bessie Forbes (née Brown; 26 September 1910 – 5 January 2012) was a Canadian centenarian and politician in Manitoba. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1969, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin and Walter Weir. Forbes was the third woman ever elected to serve in the Manitoba legislature, the first woman to serve as speaker for the legislature, and the first to serve in cabinet.
Biography[]
Forbes was born as Thelma Bessie Brown on a farm near Manitou, Manitoba, on 26 September 1910. She was the daughter of Robert A. J. Brown and Annie Sheehan. She was educated at Manitou Collegiate and the Manitou Normal School, going on to teach school in south central Manitoba.
In 1940, she married Edgar Forbes. They operated an Imperial Oil service station and an International Harvester dealership in Rathwell. From 1954 until the 1970s, they operated a farm in the same area. In 1978, the couple moved to Treherne. She was a member of the Winnipeg Business and Professional Club.
Forbes was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in a by-election held on 26 November 1959, defeating Liberal-Progressive candidate John Sundell by 724 votes in the riding of Cypress. She was re-elected by roughly the same majority in the 1962 provincial election, and by a slightly reduced figure in the 1966. She did not seek re-election in 1969, following the abolition of her riding.
Forbes was appointed Speaker of the Manitoba Legislature on 28 February 1963, and served in that position until 5 December 1966. Although considered a more successful Speaker than her predecessor, she was said not to have enjoyed the non-partisan position.
Forbes was later named Minister of Urban Development and Minister of Municipal Affairs on 22 July 1966, and held that position until 24 September 1968, when she was named Minister of Public Works. She served in the latter capacity until the 1969 election.
After the death of her husband in 1982, Forbes moved to Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. She died at the Burquitlam Lions Care Centre in Coquitlam, British Columbia on 5 January 2012, at the age of 101 years, 101 days.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Speakers of the Legislative Assembly Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
- MLA Biographies - Deceased Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (Archived)
- Memorable Manitobans: Thelma Bessie Brown Forbes (1910-2012) Manitoba Historical Society
- Thelma Forbes Winnipeg Free Press, 14 January 2012