Allan Studholme, 1846-1919
Text from the plaque
The first independent labour representative elected to the Ontario legislature, Studholme was born near Birmingham, England. He emigrated to Canada in 1870, eventually settling in Hamilton. A skilled stove-mounter, Studholme became actively involved in the emerging trade union movement. In 1906, in the wake of the bitter Hamilton Street Railway strike, he ran as an independent working-class candidate in Hamilton East. Victorious in this and three subsequent elections, he sat as the lone labour representative in the legislature for almost thirteen years. Despite his political isolation, Studholme worked tirelessly to promote the interests of working-class men and women and, through his principled stands, he helped popularize such major reforms as the eight-hour day, workmen's compensation the minimum wage and women's suffrage.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The City of Hamilton
In a park on the north side of Barton Street East between
Wentworth Street North and Sanford Avenue North
(as of September 2010, the plaque is missing from its post)
N 43 15.514 W 79 50.613
Recorded April 2004. Check current access before visiting.
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Where it stands
