Clan Rising

Campbell Clan Champion

Kim Campbell(1947–)

The Right Honourable A. Kim Campbell

The nineteenth Prime Minister of Canada, the first and to date only woman to hold the office.

Avril Phaedra Douglas Campbell, known as Kim Campbell, was born at Port Alberni in British Columbia on 10 March 1947. She studied political science at the University of British Columbia and at the London School of Economics, lectured in political science, qualified as a barrister, and entered federal politics through the House of Commons in 1988.

She rose quickly through the federal Cabinet. In 1990 she became the first woman to serve as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and in 1993 the first woman to serve as Minister of National Defence, and the first woman to hold a defence portfolio anywhere in the NATO alliance.

As Minister of Justice she carried significant reforming legislation, including the 1992 reform of the law on sexual assault that strengthened the position of complainants in the courts, and a substantial tightening of firearms control. In June 1993 she was elected leader of her party and became the nineteenth Prime Minister of Canada, the first and to this day the only woman to hold the office.

After leaving Parliament she served as Canadian Consul General in Los Angeles, was the founding Principal of the Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the University of Alberta, chaired the Council of Women World Leaders, and helped found and lead the Club de Madrid, the assembly of former democratic heads of government working for democracy worldwide.

The Campbell name is one of the great surnames of Scotland, long borne by the Dukes of Argyll. Kim Campbell carried it into the history of Canada as the first woman to lead the country.

Achievements

  • ·Prime Minister of Canada, 1993, the first and only woman to hold the office
  • ·First woman Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, 1990
  • ·First woman Minister of National Defence in Canada and in the NATO alliance, 1993
  • ·Carried major reform of the law on sexual assault and of firearms control
  • ·Founding Principal of the Peter Lougheed Leadership College; co-founder of the Club de Madrid

Frequently asked

What is Kim Campbell famous for?

The nineteenth Prime Minister of Canada, the first and to date only woman to hold the office. Avril Phaedra Douglas Campbell, known as Kim Campbell, was born at Port Alberni in British Columbia on 10 March 1947.

When was Kim Campbell born?

Kim Campbell was born in 1947 in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. The full biographical record sits on the dedicated page on Clan Rising, set alongside the wider history of the Campbell family.

Where was Kim Campbell born?

Kim Campbell was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, in Scotland. The atlas links the birthplace to its tile page so the surrounding geography and other families of the area can be explored from the same record.

What is Kim Campbell's connection to the Campbell family?

Kim Campbell is recorded on Clan Rising as a Campbell Clan Champion, a figure whose life is inseparable from the surname. The Clan Campbell family page sets the wider context for the name and links through to every other notable bearer.

What did Kim Campbell achieve?

Headline achievements recorded for Kim Campbell include Prime Minister of Canada, 1993, the first and only woman to hold the office, First woman Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, 1990, First woman Minister of National Defence in Canada and in the NATO alliance, 1993 and Carried major reform of the law on sexual assault and of firearms control. The full list and the surrounding biographical record sit on the dedicated champion page.

Was Kim Campbell a Campbell?

Yes. Kim Campbell is filed on Clan Rising under the Campbell family. The naming convention follows the surname a diaspora reader would search for today; titles, particles and pen names sort under that same canonical surname.