Daurene Lewis (1943 - 2013)
Born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia in 1943, Lewis was a descendant of freed Loyalist African Americans who settled in Annapolis Royal in 1783. She was a descendant of Rose Fortune, a Virginian who became the first female police officer in North America.
- Trained as a registered nurse, Lewis held a diploma in teaching in schools of nursing from Dalhousie University, a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary's University, and in 1993 was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Mount Saint Vincent University.
- Lewis first formal political involvement was in 1979, running for town council in Annapolis Royal.
- Her issues included increasing awareness of the area's history, and attempts at community revitalization. She was appointed as deputy mayor in 1982. In 1984, Lewis was elected mayor of Annapolis Royal, making her the first female black mayor in Canada.
- Lewis attempted to enter provincial politics in the 1988 election, making an unsuccessful bid to represent Annapolis West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for the Liberal Party.
- She was the first black woman in Nova Scotia to run in a provincial election.
