Louise McKinney

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Louise McKinney
A statue of Louise McKinney
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
7 June 1917 (1917-06-07) – 18 July 1921 (1921-07-18)
Preceded by William Moffat
Succeeded by Thomas Milnes
Constituency Claresholm
Personal details
Born Louise Crummy
(1868-09-22)22 September 1868
Frankville, Ontario
Died 10 July 1931(1931-07-10) (aged 62)
Claresholm, Alberta
Political party Non-Partisan League
Other political
affiliations		 United Farmers
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 that position from 1917 to 1921 sitting with the Non-Partisan League caucus in opposition. She was a former schoolteacher who came to Alberta in 1903 as a homesteader.[1]

Political career

Full view of statue, Calgary, Alberta

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 woman 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

Among other honours, in October 2009 the Senate voted to name McKinney and the rest of the Five Canada's first "honorary senators".[5] She died at Claresholm, Alberta, in 1931.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Sanderson, Kay (1999). 200 Remarkable Alberta Women. Calgary: Famous Five Foundation. p. 19. 
  2. ↑ "Election results for Claresholm, 1917 (Alberta general election)". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved 8 September 2010. 
  3. ↑ Kome, Penney (1985). Women of Influence: Canadian Women and Politics (1st ed.). Toronto: Doubleday Canada. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-0-385-23140-4. 
  4. ↑ "Election results for Claresholm, 1921 (Alberta general election)". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved 8 September 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Alberta's Famous Five named honorary senators". The Globe and Mail. 11 October 2009. 
  6. ↑ "The Famous 5 Heroes for Today: Louise McKinney". Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved 8 September 2010. 

External links

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