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Revision as of 04:17, 27 November 2008 by BD2412 (talk | contribs) (→Biography: success spurred renewed civic involvement)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Julia Kiniski (born in Poland, 1899 - died in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, October 11, 1969), was an aldermen on the Edmonton City Council from 1963 until her death in 1969. Kiniski unsuccessfully ran for the office to which she was eventually elected eleven times, beginning in 1945, as an independent candidate or as a candidate for far-left parties.
Biography
Kiniski's family emigrated to Chipman, Alberta in 1912. At the age of sixteen she married her husband, Nicholas, with whom she raised six children, including wrestler Gene Kiniski. In 1936, Kiniski and her husband moved to Edmonton. He worked as a barber, making $5 a week, while she sold cosmetics and managed a café. Having dropped out of school after the seventh grade, in later life Kiniski "nrolled in University of Alberta Extension courses, studying psychology, philosophy and world affairs".
During her numerous unsuccessful campaigns for local office, Kiniski "became an accomplished, albeit unconventional, speaker". As a politician, she was "nown and loved as supporter of the common people", whose success spurred renewed civic involvement:
Her 1963 victory was said to have reinvigorated public interest in City Council. While Kiniski's outspoken criticism of city spending did not make her popular with civic administrators, her defence of the "little people" captured the public's imagination. A local radio personality, Jerry Forbes, recorded a song about her set to the tune of "Hello Dolly.
As a member of the city council, "ne of her pet projects... was her fight to support tenants in basement suites".
She died of a heart attack at the age of 70, and was succeeded in office by her son, Julian Kinisky, who won the seat vacated by his mother's death in the 1970 by-election. An elementary school in Edmonton is named for her, as is the neighborhood of Kiniski Gardens.
Table of election results
Elections won are in bold. In most years, five of the ten alderman seats were up for re-election, with the top five vote recipients winning those seats. Beginning in 1964, all seats were up for election every two years.
| Year | Party | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Independent | 1,305 | last place |
| 1946 | Independent | 2,635 | last place |
| 1947 | Independent | 2,133 | second to last |
| 1948 | Independent | 1,783 | third to last |
| 1949 | Independent | 6,370 | last place |
| 1951 | Independent | 5,045 | last place |
| 1953 | Independent | 3,471 | last place |
| 1954 | Independent | 1,758 | third to last |
| 1956 | Independent | 3,999 | last place |
| 1957 | Independent | 7,444 | 10th out of 19 |
| 1958 | Edmonton Voters Association | 4,283 | 9th out of 14 |
| 1959 | Edmonton Voters Association | 9,703 | 11th out of 17 |
| 1961 | Independent | 12,451 | 8th out of 18 |
| 1962 | Civic Rights Protective Association | 12,643 | 8th out of 13 |
| 1963 | United Voters Association | 36,861 | 5th out of 14 |
| 1964 | Civil Rights Association | 54,637 | 2d out of a large field |
| 1966 | Civil Rights Association | 53,969 | 3d out of a large field |
| 1968 | no affiliation | 35,760 | 9th out of a large field |
References
- ^ Merrily K. Aubrey, "Kiniski Gardens", Naming Edmonton: From Ada to Zoie (2004), p. 182.
- ^ Edmonton Public Library, Election biographies.
- Edmonton Journal, October 14, 1969, p. 1,3,10