Isabel LeBourdais
Encyclopedia
Isabel LeBourdais, née Erichsen-Brown (April 15, 1909 - 2003) was a Canadian
journalist
and author
. She is best known as the author of the 1966 book The Trial of Steven Truscott
, the first major work to argue that Steven Truscott
had been wrongfully convicted of murder
.
Educated at Havergal College
and the University of Toronto
, she left university in 1929 to marry Stephen Dale, whom she divorced four years later. She subsequently became a social activist, and joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
. She married writer and CCF politician Don LeBourdais in 1942. She continued working as a journalist and activist until publishing the Truscott book. Thereafter, she became a public relations officer for the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.
She was the sister of novelist Gwethalyn Graham
and the grandmother of musician
Mark LeBourdais, formerly of King Apparatus
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She is best known as the author of the 1966 book The Trial of Steven Truscott
The Trial of Steven Truscott
The Trial of Steven Truscott is a book written by Isabel LeBourdais, published in 1966, on the trial and conviction of Steven Truscott for the murder of Lynne Harper in 1959...
, the first major work to argue that Steven Truscott
Steven Truscott
Steven Murray Truscott is a Canadian man who was sentenced to death in 1959, when he was a 14-year old student, for the murder of classmate Lynne Harper...
had been wrongfully convicted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
.
Educated at Havergal College
Havergal College
Havergal College is an independent boarding and day school for girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Named for English hymn composer, author and humanitarian Frances Ridley Havergal, the school was founded in 1894 by a group of men led by The Honourable H...
and the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, she left university in 1929 to marry Stephen Dale, whom she divorced four years later. She subsequently became a social activist, and joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
. She married writer and CCF politician Don LeBourdais in 1942. She continued working as a journalist and activist until publishing the Truscott book. Thereafter, she became a public relations officer for the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.
She was the sister of novelist Gwethalyn Graham
Gwethalyn Graham
Gwethalyn Graham was a Canadian writer, whose 1944 novel Earth and High Heaven was the first Canadian book to reach number one on the New York Times Best Seller list...
and the grandmother of musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Mark LeBourdais, formerly of King Apparatus
King Apparatus
King Apparatus was a Canadian third wave ska band, active in the early 1990s. Formed in 1987 in London, Ontario and later based in Toronto, the band's lineup varied over its lifetime, including vocalist Chris Murray, guitarists Sam Tallo, Paul Ruston, J. C...
.