Arquivo F1114 - Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton fonds

Charlotte (Carlotte) Elizabeth Whitton was born in Renfrew, Ontario in 1896. She entered Queen's University in 1914 and graduated with an M.A. in 1917. Dr. Whitton followed a career in social work and politics. She was co-editor of Social Welfare and became first full-time Director of the Canadian Council on Child Welfare in 1926. In 1941 she gave up this post to write and act as consultant to both federal and provincial governments on social services and welfare. Dr. Whitton was elected controller of the City of Ottawa in 1950 and became the first woman mayor of a Canadian city in 1951. She served four terms as mayor and was active in city politics until 1972. Dr. Whitton received many honours during her lifetime, among them: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1934); the Service Medal of the Order of Canada (1967); honourary doctorates from such institutions as King's College, Halifax (1939) and Smith College, Mass. (1955). She died in Ottawa in 1975.