Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Office of the Minister
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The first Minister of Education was appointed in February, 1876, when the "Act Respecting the Education Department" (39 Vic., Chap 16) converted the Department of Public Instruction into the Department of Education. Previously, the Department of Public Instruction had been administered by an appointed official, the Chief Superintendent (Egerton Ryerson), and the Provincial Secretary represented the Department in the Legislature. Initially, the Department of Education was officially a Committee of the Executive Council, with the Minister of Education as one of its members. This situation was changed by the "Department of Education Act," 1909 (Edw. VI 8, Chap. 88), under which the Department was given the same structure as other Departments of the Government of Ontario.
The Minister of Education was responsible for the university sector from the Department of Education's formation in 1876, and this situation continued after the Department of University Affairs was created in 1964. The Minister of Education assumed responsibility for the newly created Department but maintained separate offices for both Departments. In 1971 a separate Minister was appointed for each Department. In 1972 the Department of Education was transformed into the Ministry of Education and the position of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education was created with its own office.
The following individuals were Ministers of Education: Adam Crooks (February 19, 1876-1883); A. S. Hardy (January 19, 1883-November 23, 1883); G. W. Ross (November 23, 1883-1899); Richard Harcourt (October 21, 1899-1905); Dr. R. A. Pyne (February 8, 1905-1918); Rev. H. J. Cody (May 23, 1918-1919); R. H. Grant (November 14, 1919-1923); G. Howard Ferguson (July 16, 1923-1930); George S. Henry (December 16, 1930-1934); Dr. L. J. Simpson (July 10, 1934-1940); Dr. Duncan McArthur (August 22, 1940-1943); George A. Drew (August 17, 1943-1948); Dana Porter (October 19, 1948-1951); W. J. Dunlop (October 2, 1951-1959); John P. Robarts (December 17, 1959-1962); William Davis (October 25, 1962-1971); Robert S. Welch (March 1, 1971-1972).
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Minister of Education held the senior office within the Department of Education, and was ultimately accountable to the Legislature for the Ministry's activities. The Office of the Minister provided administrative and political support for the Minister's duties and activities.
Address
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Epithet
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
RG 2 Inventory
Maintenance notes
Archivist(s):
Robbins