Louise McKinney
| Louise McKinney | |
|---|---|
| 150px
A statue of Louise McKinney
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| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| In office 7 June 1917 – 18 July 1921 |
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| Preceded by | William Moffat |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Milnes |
| Constituency | Claresholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 September 1868 Frankville, Ontario |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Claresholm, Alberta |
| Political party | Non-Partisan League |
| Occupation | Women's rights activist and politician |
Louise McKinney née Crummy (22 September 1868 – 10 July 1931) was a provincial politician and women's rights activist from Alberta, Canada. She was the first woman sworn into the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the first woman elected to a legislature in Canada and in the British Empire. She served as MLA from 1917 to 1921, sitting with the Nonpartisan League caucus in opposition. Later she was one of the Famous Five that pursued successfully the right of Canadian women to be appointed to the Senate. She was a former schoolteacher who came to Alberta in 1903 as a homesteader.[1]
Political career
McKinney ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1917 Alberta general election. She won the electoral district of Claresholm as a candidate for the Non-Partisan League by defeating Liberal incumbent William Moffat in hotly contested race.[2]
McKinney believed in temperance education, stronger liquor control, women's property rights and the Dower Act. She was one of two women sworn into the Alberta Legislative Assembly on 7 June 1917, the other being Roberta MacAdams. McKinney became one of "The Famous Five" (also called "The Valiant Five"),[3] along with Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy and Nellie McClung
She ran for a second term in the 1921 Alberta general election, running under the United Farmers banner. She was defeated and lost her seat to Independent Farmer candidate Thomas Milnes in a hotly contested race.[4]
Late life and honours
In 1939, McKinney was recognized as a Person of National Historic Significance by the government of Canada. A plaque commemorating this in found at the Post Office, Highway 4 south at the Canada-United States border, Claresholm, Alberta.[5] The "Persons Case" was recognized as a Historic Event in 1997.[6] In addition, in October 2009 the Senate voted to name McKinney and the other members of the Famous Five as Canada's first "honorary senators".[7] She died at Claresholm, Alberta, in 1931.[8]
References
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- ↑ McKinney, Louise National Historic Person. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada.
- ↑ Persons Case National Historic Event. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada.
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External links
- Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
- profile, Alberta Heritage
- profile, Library and Archives Canada
- profile, Elections Canada
