Tilly O'Neill-Gordon
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon MP | |
---|---|
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Miramichi | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office October 14, 2008 | |
Preceded by | Charles Hubbard |
Personal details | |
Born | Escuminac, New Brunswick | February 16, 1949
Political party | Conservative |
Profession | teacher |
Tilly O'Neill-Gordon (born February 16, 1949) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the New Brunswick electoral district of Miramichi in the 2008 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the Conservative Party.
Biography
She was born to Tom and Carmel (Jimmo) O’Neill. Her family moved to the Chatham, New Brunswick in 1961 and she graduated St. Michael’s Academy in 1967. After graduated she attended Teachers’ College in Fredericton and began teaching in 1970 in her native village of Escuminac. In 1972 she was transferred to Nelson-Miramichi followed by another transfer the next year to Chatham Head. She remained there for 15 years and When this school closed officially in 1988, she was transferred to Ian Baillie Primary until retirement in 2003. She then re-entered the teaching profession a year later at Burnt Church and was employed there until being elected.
Transition into politics
O'Neill-Gordon had been teaching in a classroom for a week when she was asked to run. She took a leave of absence she thought would only last six weeks. O'Neill-Gordon ended up defeating the Liberal incumbent, becoming the third Conservative MP in Miramichi since 1867.[1]
Personal life
She has four sisters, three live in the Miramichi area and the other in Bathurst. Her ex-husband James Gordon was a MLA representing Miramichi Bay from 1982 to 1987.