Elizabeth Ziegler

Early life and education

Ziegler was born September 15, 1854, in Berlin, Canada West (now Kitchener) to Enoch and Hannah (née Hallman) Ziegler. Educated at local schools, Elizabeth went on to study at the Toronto Normal School, graduating at 16 years of age. She was the youngest student to receive a teaching certificate from the school, which was signed by Egerton Ryerson, Ontario's first Minister of Education.

Teaching career After graduation she taught for a year in Breslau, followed by two years teaching in Bloomingdale. Ziegler was later appointed as the principal of Alexandra School, Waterloo's second elementary school, making her the first woman principal appointed in Waterloo County. She retired from teaching in 1930. To mark her lengthy career the Canadian National Railway gifted her a return ticket to the Pacific Coast. In addition to having a school named after her, Ziegler is a member of the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. In 1941 Ziegler moved to Simcoe to live with a sister, where she died a year later.