Samuel Lawrence

Who was Samuel Lawrence?

Samuel Lawrence was a Canadian politician and trade unionist.

Lawrence was born in Somerset, England and went to work in a quarry at the age of 12 and became a shop steward in the mason's union at the age of 17. He entered politics running for election in Battersea in London. Known as "Mr. Labour", Sam Lawrence was an alderman, controller, and the Mayor of Hamilton from 1944 to 1949. He was also President of the Stone cutters' Union, Vice-President of the Hamilton Trades and Labour Council, and leader of the CCF Party in the Ontario legislature.

He immigrated to Canada settling in Hamilton, Ontario with his family in 1912 and found work as a stonemason. He became involved in the local labour movement and was elected to Hamilton, Ontario City Council as an Independent Labour Party alderman in 1922. He ran as a Labour candidate in the 1925 federal election but lost his bid for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, coming in second. He remained on city council and was elected to Hamilton's Board of Control in 1929, retaining his seat until 1934 when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Hamilton East, the first Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MLA ever elected in Ontario. He was also the only CCFer elected in the 1934 election, and was defeated in his bid for re-election in the 1937 election.