Louise McKinney
Louise McKinney , née Crummey (born September 22, 1868 in Frankville , Ontario , † July 10, 1931 in Claresholm , Alberta ) was a Canadian provincial politician and suffragette . She was the first woman to be sworn in in the Alberta Legislative Assembly and the first woman to be elected to parliament in Canada and the British Empire . She kept her mandate from 1917 to 1921 and then sat in opposition for the Alberta Non-Partisan League . Louise McKinney was a member of The Famous Five .
Political career
McKinney ran for a seat in Parliament for Alberta in the 1917 general election. She won the Claresholm constituency as a candidate for the Non-Partisan League, defeating the Liberal incumbent William Moffat in a highly competitive race. McKinney believed in abstinence education, increased control of alcohol, women's and property rights, and the Dower Act . She was one of two women sworn in in the Alberta Legislative Assembly on June 7, 1917 . The other was Roberta MacAdams . She ran for a second term in the 1921 Alberta general election with the United Farmers . She was beaten and lost her seat to an independent candidate, farmer Thomas Milnes , in a highly competitive race.
Together with Nellie McClung , Henrietta Muir Edwards , Emily Murphy and Irene Parlby , she was one of the Famous Five (also known as the Valiant Five ). The five successfully pushed a petition , the Persons Case , forward in 1927 , which clarified the term "person" in the Constitution Act of 1867 . It was found that women were actually persons within the meaning of the law and that they were thus allowed to become members of the Canadian Senate . The previous interpretation had ensured that women were excluded from political office.
The Senate decided in October 2009 to appoint McKinney and the other members of the Famous Five as Canada's first “honorary senators”.
Web links
- The Famous Five at Library and Archives Canada (English; French can also be set at the top right). Accessed September 16, 2019
- Louise Crummy McKinney. The First Woman Elected to a Legislature in the British Empire, at Elections Canada (English; above right, French (français) can be set). Accessed September 16, 2019
- The Famous Five at the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, accessed September 16, 2019
- The Famous 5, Heroes of Today , Alberta Heritage (Eng.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Claresholm Official Results 1917 Alberta general election . Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
- ↑ Persons Case ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ Alberta's Famous Five named honorary senators. The Globe and Mail , October 11, 2009.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | McKinney, Louise |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | McKinney Crummey, Louise |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian feminist, politician and social activist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 22, 1868 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Frankville , Ontario |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 10, 1931 |
| Place of death | Claresholm , Alberta |