Judy LaMarsh

Julia Verlyn LaMarsh was a Canadian politician, lawyer, author and broadcaster. In 1963, she was only the second woman ever to serve as a federal Cabinet minister. Under Prime Minister Lester Pearson's minority governments of the middle and late 1960s, she helped push through the legislation that created the Canada Pension Plan and Medicare. As Secretary of State, she was in charge of Canada's Centennial celebrations in 1967. After leaving politics in 1968, she wrote three books, and had her own radio show on CBC Radio. She was stricken with pancreatic cancer in 1979 and was given the Order of Canada at her hospital bed. She died a few days short of the 20th anniversary of her first political election victory, in 1980.

20 December 1924

Born on the same birth date (20 December 1924): Charlie Callas

Born on the same birth day (20 December): Bartosz Bosacki • Bill O'Reilly (cricketer) • Charley Grapewin • Gabby Hartnett • Gigliola Cinquetti • Henry Kimball Hadley • Jan Sarkander • Jenny Agutter • Jillian Rose Reed • Joel Gretsch • Kim Ki-duk • Mike Keneally • Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz • Nuala O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan • Olavi Salonen • Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff • Veronica Pershina

Born in the same month (December 1924): Alexander Haig • Atal Bihari Vajpayee • Bent Fabric • Bob Kurland • Cicely Tyson • Doc Blanchard • Ed Koch • F. Sionil José • Frank Broyles • Jim McClure (politician) • John C. Portman Jr. • Kim Song-ae • Lionel Gilbert • Mário Soares • Nicolas Sidjakov • Taylor Mead • Wiel Coerver • Yvonne Brill