O-448

•

painting (portrait)

•

The Honourable James Jérome

Portrait of Speaker James Jerome

That Canadians can watch or hear the business of the House of Commons on radio and television is thanks in part to James Jerome. First elected to Parliament in Sudbury in 1968, he was made Speaker in 1974. He supported and oversaw the introduction of live broadcasts of Commons sessions in 1977. In his second term as Speaker he became the first opposition MP elected to the role. He left politics in 1980, and was appointed associate chief justice of the Federal Court. He died in 2005. His portrait was painted by Robert Hyndman in 1979.

Robert Hyndman

Robert Hyndman lived the experiences that inspired much of his art. Born in Edmonton in 1915, he moved to Ottawa in 1933, and studied art in Toronto and London, England. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1939, and flew Spitfires as bomber escorts over the English Channel, with 155 missions in total. He was appointed an Official War Artist and painted portraits of ace pilots and military brass, and scenes from his own time in the air. His work is still displayed at the Canadian War Museum. He taught for many years at the Ottawa School of Art. He died in 2009.