Avril Phaedra Douglas "Kim" Campbell is a Canadian politician, diplomat, lawyer and writer who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993.
Background
Kim Campbell was born on March 10, 1947, in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, as Avril Phaedra Campbell, the daughter of Phyllis "Lissa" Margaret and George Thomas Campbell, a barrister who had served with The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in Italy. Her father was born in Montreal, to Scottish parents, from Glasgow.
Her mother left the family when Campbell was 12, leaving Kim and her sister Alix to be raised by their father. As a teenager, Campbell permanently nicknamed herself Kim.
Education
In 1969 Campbell received a degree in political science from the University of British Columbia and earned a law degree in 1983.
While a graduate student, Campbell became imbued with a conservative political philosophy.
Career
She entered politics in 1983 and won her first victory, a seat in the provincial legislature for the Social Credit Party, in 1986. She was elected in 1988 to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative, or Tory, party candidate from Vancouver. There she defended the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement promoted by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and was appointed by him to a junior cabinet position. Mulroney promoted her to attorney general in 1990, and to defense minister in 1992. While in Parliament Campbell supported such positions as curtailment of government spending and recriminalization of abortion. When Mulroney, his popularity ratings approaching single digits, resigned in spring 1993, the Tory party convention selected Campbell as party leader. She thus became the prime minister. She called a general election for Oct. 25, 1993. Although she opened the campaign enjoying high personal popularity, her campaign succumbed to a general repudiation of her party and its policies. The Tories lost all but two of their previous 153 seats, including Campbell's own Vancouver riding.
Achievements
Campbell was the first, and to date, only female prime minister of Canada, the first baby boomer to hold that office, and the only prime minister born in British Columbia. She currently is the chairperson for Canada's Supreme Court Advisory Board.
Membership
She was a member of Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Social Credit Party.
Connections
Her first spouse was Nathan Divinsky. They were divorced in 1983, and Campbell married Howard Eddy in 1986, a marriage that lasted until shortly before she became prime minister. Campbell is the second prime minister of Canada to have been divorced, after Pierre Trudeau. She briefly dated Gregory Lekhtman, the inventor of Exerlopers, during her term as prime minister, but the relationship was relatively private and she did not involve him in the 1993 election campaign. She is currently married to Hershey Felder, an actor, playwright, composer, and concert pianist. She remains close to Nathan Divinsky's daughter Pamelea.
