Marcus Hyman

Marcus Hyman, M.A., LL.B. (July 13, 1883 – December 31, 1938

Biography Hyman was born to a Jewish family near Vilna, Poland. In 1914, he married Erna Ziembiska.

During World War I, Hyman was president of the Western Canadian Relief Fund for the Relief of War Sufferers and, in 1917-18, chair of the Winnipeg Committee of the British and Canadian Recruiting Mission. The letter organization helped to raise men for combat in Egypt and Palestine. From 1923 to 1928, he was a member of the Winnipeg School Board.

He was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1932 election, running as a candidate in the Winnipeg constituency. At the time, Winnipeg elected ten members by preferential balloting. Hyman finished ninth on the first count, and was subsequently declared elected. He served with his ILP colleagues on the opposition benches throughout his time in the legislature.

His re-election in the 1936 election was not guaranteed, as the ILP faced strong opposition from the Communist Party and independent leftist Lewis Stubbs. Hyman again finished ninth on the first count, but had to wait for the sixteenth count to be confirmed as successful.

Hyman was one of the most respected members of the legislature, and spoke on subjects such as education, civil liberties and labour legislation. He was an early supporter of larger school units for the province, considering the local units to be ineffective. Hyman also endorsed the creation of Riding Mountain National Park.

He is remembered particularly for having co-sponsored the province's Anti-Defamation Bill, which allowed members of a racial or religious group to sue for an injunction against a defaming publisher or author. Known as the "Hyman Act", this bill was supported the John Bracken government and given unanimous passage in 1934.

He died in Winnipeg in 1938, while still a member of the legislature.

Legacy The University of Manitoba offers a Marcus Hyman Memorial Scholarship. One past winner of the scholarship was Larry Zolf.