Henry Hicks

"For Henry Hicks, 1837-1899, Welsh Physician, Surgeon, MRCS, Geologist, President of Geological Society, and FRS, see Henry Hicks (geologist)."

Henry Davies Hicks, CC , QC , BA , B.Sc , BCL , MA , D.Ed , DCL , LL.D , D.Litt (March 5, 1915 – December 9, 1990) was a lawyer, university administrator, and politician in Nova Scotia.

Hicks was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1945 as a Liberal for Annapolis County and served as Minister of Education from 1949 to 1954 in the government of Angus L. MacDonald. When MacDonald died, Hicks ran for the Liberal party leadership against interim leader and then Premier Harold Connolly. The party was badly split along religious lines with Protestants uniting behind Hicks to defeat Connolly who was a Roman Catholic. As the new Premier, Hicks was unable to unite the party and his government was defeated in the 1956 election by Robert Stanfield's Progressive Conservatives.

Hicks resigned as Leader of the opposition in 1960 and took the post of Dean of Arts and Science at Dalhousie University. He later became a Vice President of the school and then President in 1963. He served as President until August 31, 1980 and is recognized as transforming Dalhousie University from a tiny "College By the Sea" into a leading national research university.

During Hicks' tenure, the campus underwent a complete transformation as new facilities were built, expanded, or acquired for all areas of the university from academics and research to arts and athletics as well as student housing. In September 2002, the Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building was named after him.

In 1970, Hicks was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. On 27 April, 1972, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Pierre Trudeau, and served in that capacity until his retirement on 5 March 1990.

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=1084&s=M Political biography from the Library of Parliament]