Campbell, Kim, 1947- : Kim Campbell was born 10 March 1947 in Port Alberni, B.C. Her original name was Avril Phaedra Douglas Campbell, but at age 12, she changed her name to Kim. She was educated at the University of British Columbia and at the London School of Economics in London, England. She received her Bachelor of Laws degree from U.B.C. in 1983. She then articled with, and worked for, the Vancouver law firm Ladner Downs, 1983-1985.
Meanwhile she had begun her political career, serving two terms with the Vancouver School Board, 1983-1985. She was the Executive Director in the office of Premier Bill Bennett, 1985-1986. She ran for the leadership of the B.C. Social Credit Party in July 1986, but lost to Bill Vander Zalm. In October 1986 she was elected MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey.
Kim Campbell was first elected to the House of Commons for the Progressive Conservative Party, in the riding of Vancouver Centre, in the general election of 1988. She was sworn in to the Privy Council 30 January 1989, and appointed Minister of State (Indian Affairs and Northern Development). She was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on 23 February 1990. On 4 January 1993, she became Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs.
She was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party on June 13, 1993, and sworn in as Prime Minister on June 25, 1993. In the federal election of Oct. 25, 1993, the Progressive Conservative government was defeated and Campbell lost her own seat. On November 4, 1993, Jean Chretien replaced her as Prime Minister. She stepped down as party leader in December of that year. She subsequently undertook a teaching engagement at Harvard University. She served as Canadian Consul General in Los Angeles, 1996-2000.
Kim Campbell is a founding member of the Club de Madrid, where she served as Acting President, 2002, Vice President 2003- 2004, Executive Director, 2004-2006, and as a member of the Board of Directors. She served as Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL), 1999-2003, and as President of the International Women's Forum, October 2003-October 2005.
She has served many organizations, frequently acting as trustee, advisor or member of the board or steering committee. These organizations include, among others, the Foundation for Effective Governance, the International Crisis Group, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, the Arab Democracy Foundation, the Global Security Institute (GSI), the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI), the International Task Force on Preventive Diplomacy at the EastWest Institute, the Forum of Federations, the World Movement for Democracy, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, Naissance Capital's Women's World Leadership Fund, Equal Voice, Glendon College at York University, and the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has also served as a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and of the Global Council of the Asia Society of New York.
She became an Honorary Fellow at both the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and at the London School of Economics. Kim Campbell has been awarded many honorary doctorates.
Kim Campbell's political memoir, published in 1996, is called Time and Chance.
