Henrietta Muir Edwards.
Roberta MacAdams.
Nellie McClung.
Louise McKinney.
Emily Murphy.
Irene Parlby.
They were six remarkable women who made history. They were smart. They were courageous. And they were sometimes deeply flawed. They were pioneering feminists who fought for fundamental women’s rights, at time when women couldn’t vote and Canadian law didn’t consider them people. And some of them were also fighting for causes which today seem either quaint – such as Prohibition – or horrifying – such as eugenics.
But with their strengths and their weaknesses, they were six kick-butt broads. And sometimes, whether we celebrate them as heroines or decry them as villains, we forget that they were actually fascinating people. And probably, some of them were a lot of fun at a party.
So here, in the spirit of Buzz Feed, is my very own, very Alberta, personality quiz.
Click here to find out: Which Great Alberta Suffragette are YOU? The answer may surprise you!
Henrietta Muir Edwards (1849 – 1931) Artist, magazine editor, and legal scholar, she was the elder stateswoman of Alberta’s suffrage leaders.
Roberta MacAdams (1881 – 1959) A home economist, teacher, and WWI hospital administrator, she, along with Louise McKinney, was one of the first women elected to the Alberta legislator. She retired from politics to marry and raise a family, and was not part of the Persons Case.
Nellie McClung
Nellie McClung (1873 – 1951) Journalist, novelist, and acclaimed public speaker, she led the fight for the vote, and later served as a Liberal MLA
Louise McKinney (1868 – 1931) A teacher and adamant temperance activist she became one of Alberta’s first two female MLAs, alongside Roberta MacAdams.
Emily Murphy (1868 – 1931) Author, magistrate, suffrage activist, but also a notorious racist, she hosted the famous tea party where the Famous 5 decided to fight the Persons Case.
Irene Parlby (1868 – 1965) A British-born aristocrat and theatre-lover, who became a UFA MLA and cabinet minister, the first female cabinet minister in Canadian history
