Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Louis H. "Scoop" Lewry fonds
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- Textual record
- Graphic material
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Fonds
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Physical description area
Physical description
24 m of textual records.
98 photographs.
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Louis Harrington “Scoop” Lewry was born in Moose Jaw on April 16, 1919 to Phillip E. and Mary Louisa Lewry. He had three brothers and one sister. He attended King George School and Central Collegiate. He began a journalism career with local radio station CHAB in 1938. From 1946 to 1949 he was employed with the Regina Leader Post news bureau. He also wrote a weekly column in the weekly advertising paper the Western Spotlight and worked for the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. While working at CHAB a colleague also named Louis gave “Scoop” his alias to end confusion in the office.
Lewry was elected alderman of the city of Moose Jaw in 1948. From 1950 to 1956 he was mayor, the youngest in Canada (age 31) and the first native born mayor in Moose Jaw’s history. In 1956 he retired. In the 1957 federal election Lewry won the Moose Jaw Lake Centre seat for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and served one year. From 1958 to 1964 he was appointed to the Local Government Board, the overseer of municipal government finance. In 1964 he won the mayoral election. In 1967 he ran in the Saskatchewan provincial election as the CCF-NDP candidate in Morse Constituency losing to Liberal Premier W. Ross Thatcher. In 1968 Lewry won the mayor’s seat by acclamation. Two years later he was narrowly defeated by J. Ernest Pascoe. He then became an inspector with the Liquor Licensing Commission. In 1971 he returned to the Local Government Board and resigned in 1982 to run again (successfully) for mayor. He won again in 1985 and remained mayor until his retirement in October 1988.
On December 18, 1942 Louis H. Lewry married Jean Rosalthe Munro, a registered nurse. They had five children, Philip, Harold, Catherine, Janet and Mary. Jean passed away in 1986. In November 1987 he married Edith (Edie) Hill of Moose Jaw. They divorced in 1991.
Lewry was a member of and served on numerous committees and boards. He was a charter member of the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Club, a charter member and president of the Wild Animal Park Society, on the Celebrate Saskatchewan Committee, Canada Day Committee, Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Numismatic Association, the Canadian Wooden Money Society and director of The Moose Jaw Thing, a society to promote the name of Moose Jaw. He was president of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association. He served as a public school trustee from 1966 to 1971 and was board chairman from 1969 to 1971. In 1980 Lewry was named to the Order of Canada. That same year he was awarded the City of Moose Jaw Medal of Merit.
While he was mayor, the Carbon Filtration Plant at Buffalo Pound Lake was completed, the Saskatchewan Water Corporation head office was built, and a major renovation and expansion of the police station and city hall was begun.
Lewry’s hobbies included coin collecting and woodworking.
He passed away in Moose Jaw on February 24, 1992 following many years of suffering with cancer.
Custodial history
Scope and content
This fonds consists of the personal and professional papers of Louis H. “Scoop” Lewry from 1947 to 1970. Included is correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, financial records, press clippings and scrapbooks.
Notes area
Physical condition
The scrapbooks are tattered and acidic. Mildew of approximately 30% of files. Some severely damaged. Some water stains.
Immediate source of acquisition
Accession No. 4.89. Donated by Louis H. “Scoop” Lewry.
Accession 14.2018 was donated by Catherine Patterson (nee Lewry) on May 4, 2013.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
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Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Finding aids and file list available. See attached finding aid.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
32 photographs (89-134 to 89-165) were catalogued and transferred to the Archives photograph collection prior to the fonds level description being completed in 2004.
Accruals
No further accruals expected
General note
The fonds level description was completed in 2004 based on existing box lists prepared in 1989.
Conservation
This fonds was re-boxed and foldered in 1989.
Location note
Boxes L-1 - L-116 inclusive, OS-44 - OS-45
Alternative identifier(s)
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Access points
Subject access points
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Name access points
- Lewry, L.H. "Scoop" (Subject)