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The story of the Famous 5 and their challenge of the ‘Persons' Case is a case study in transformational leadership.
It tells about five ordinary women, born in the mid-nineteenth century, who joined the trek west with their families to frontier Canada . All of them were from relatively privileged and well-established communities but, at the turn of the new century, just as Alberta became a province, the adventure west beckoned.
Each had a history of activism on behalf of women and children. Indeed, some were passionate social justice reformers, addressing legislation to protect the lives of women and children, as well as advocating for the temperance movement. And certainly all were prominent suffragists. When they arrived in Alberta , each had had significant victories in her own particular areas of interest, and none showed the slightest sign of abandoning any of the causes she had so passionately challenged.
They arrived on fertile soil where grassroots reform movements flourished, and it was natural for them to build upon the populist foundation they discovered in the United Farmers organization. The women of the frontier who had arrived before them had contributed their own labour to building homesteads alongside their husbands, but a sense of community beyond the family was slower to come. The challenge offered by these five women provided an avenue to create the social bond of community and to extend their female influence to a larger sphere.
These five remarkable women recognized an opportunity whose time had come. They built alliances with other women's organizations, brilliantly communicated their vision for a society where women could participate in public service equally with men, and refused to take no for an answer – even when turned down by the Supreme Court of Canada!
Truly, these five ordinary Alberta women accomplished the extraordinary. Their leadership changed the world.
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A prominent suffragist and reformer, the first female magistrate in the Commonwealth, and the leader of the Famous 5's challenge of the ‘Persons' Case, Emily Murphy was also a prolific writer. She began her writing careeer as Janey Canuck. Although Emily would have liked to have been made a Senator, she was never offered that appointment. • Born in Cookstown , Ontario , March 14. 1887 Married Rev. Arthur Murphy and had two daughters, Kathleen and Evelyn, as well as two other children who died in childhood. 1889 Family moved to England where Emily began her writer career as Janey Canuck. |
1889 Family moved to England where Emily began her writer career as Janey Canuck.
1901 Moved to Swan River , Manitoba where Emily wrote magazine articles.
1907 Moved to Edmonton , Alberta and began her social activism.
1910 First female appointed to Edmonton Hospital Board.
1916 Appointed first female magistrate in British Empire .
1922 Wrote The Black Candle concerning the drug trade in Canada
1927 Gathered four influential Alberta women to her Edmonton home to enlist their support of a petition to the Supreme Court of Canada to clarify the process to become a Senator. Their question to the Supreme Court asked, “Does the word ‘Persons' in the BNA Act of 1867 include female persons?”
1933 Died suddenly in her sleep at 65 years of age, October 17.
Characteristics:
Tough, determined, no nonsense approach, unpleasant, committed, visionary, joiner, out spoken, important, domineering, proud, energetic, attentive to detail, a doer, liked hats – particularly those with large feathers and braids!
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An organizer and staunch supporter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, Louise was the first woman elected (1917) to serve as a Member of any Legislative Assembly in the Commonwealth in the first election in which women could vote or run for office. She was a champion for the first Dower Act in Alberta . 1868 Born in Frankville , Ontario to a farming family, September 22 1886 Taught school 1893 Moved to North Dakota and began organizing for the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) |
1896 Married James McKinney and had one child, Willard.
1903 Moved to Claresholme , Alberta and travelled throughout western Canada organizing 20 WCTU chapters.
1917 Ran as an independent candidate in the first election in which women could run for office and vote. Was elected along with Nursing Sister Roberta MacAdams. She was sworn in first and thus became the first woman to sit as an elected official in the British Empire .
1921 Was defeated because of her opposition to drinking and smoking.
1925 One of four women to sign the Basis of Union, which formed the United Church
1931 Died suddenly in Claresholme , Alberta , July 10 at 63 years of age.
Characteristics:
Determined, organized, dedicated, outspoken. She often wore the white ribbon of temperance.
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Nellie McClung was a novelist, reformer, journalist, and suffragist who led the fight to enfranchise North American women beginning with western Canadian women in the early 1910s. She became a Liberal MLA for Edmonton (1921-1926), was the first female Director of the Board of the Governors of CBC, and was a delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva in 1938. 1873 Born in Chatworth , Ontario , October 20 1880 Moved to Manitoba 1896 Married Wes McClung and had five children: Jack, Horace, Florence , Paul, and Mark |
1908 Wrote Sowing Seeds in Danny , her first and most popular novel. She subsequently wrote 14 additional books.
1911 Began to champion the right of women to vote and run for office. She was also an avid supporter of the Women's Christian Temperance Union.
1914 Wrote and starred in a mock Parliament which asked, “Why Should Men Have the Vote?”
1921 Elected Liberal MLA, Edmonton
1936 First woman appointed to the Board of Governors of the CBC
1938 Went to Geneva as a Canadian representative to the League of Nations
1951 Died at age 78 in Victoria , BC on September 1.
Characteristics:
Nellie was often described as inspiring, feisty, impressive, dynamic, energetic, lively, optimistic, loving, kind, tremendously witty and good natured. She dressed fairly stylishly and liked to garden if time permitted!
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Mrs Edwards published Canada 's first womens's magazine and established the prototype for the Canadian YWCA. She was an artist as well as a legal expert and helped to found the National Council of Women in 1893 as well as the Victorian Order of Nurses in 1897. At 80 years of age, she was the oldest of the five women who launched the famous ‘Persons' Case. 1849 Born to a privileged family in Montreal , Quebec on December 18 1875 Published Canada 's first women's magazine called Women's Work in Canada |
1876 Married Dr. Oliver Cromwell Edwards and had three children: Alice, Muir, and Margaret
1883 Moved to Fort Qu'Appelle , Saskatchewan
1893 Together with Lady Aberdeen, established the National Council of Women
1893 Painted china for the Canadian Pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair
1897 Helped Lady Aberdeen found the Victorian Order of Nurses
1903 Family settled in Fort Macleod
1910 Lobbied for the first version of the Dower Act in Alberta
1917 Published handbooks titled, Legal Status of Women in Canada and Legal Status of Women in Alberta
1931 Died at 82 years of age in Fort Macleod , November 10, buried in Edmonton .
Characteristics:
Caring, concerned, dedicated, imaginative, persevering, determined, independent, liberated, and thoughtful, although she was definitely not stylish! She hated wearing hats although that was the custom of the time for women, so when she arrived at meetings she would remove her hat to get down to business! Henrietta refused to wear corsets and dressed for comfort, advising other women to do the same, and since she was barely five feet tall she often stood on a chair to deliver her speeches.
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Irene was an advocate for rural farm women in Alberta , the first female cabinet Minister in Alberta in 1921, (the second in the British Commonwealth ), the first president of the United Farm Women of Alberta, and a delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva in 1930. 1868 Born in England to an aristocratic family on January 9 1897 Travelled to Lacombe , Alberta to visit friends 1898 Married Walter Parlby and had one son, Humphrey 1916 Organized and became first President of the United Farm Women's Association |
1920 Appointed to the University of Alberta 's Board of Directors
1921 Elected to the Alberta Legislature as a United Farmers of Alberta candidate from Lacombe
1921 Appointed as the first female Cabinet Minister in Alberta and second in the British Empire . She was a Minister Without Portfolio, however.
1925 Successfully sponsored the Minimum Wage Act for Women
1930 Represented Canada at the League of Nations in Geneva
1935 First women to receive an Honourary Doctorate of Law from the University of Alberta
1965 Died in Alix , Alberta at age 97 on July 12.
Characteristics:
Irene was elegant, aristocratic, inspiring, organized, charming, stylish, dedicated and energetic. She was an avid gardener who tended beautiful flower gardens. She loved large brim hats and gorgeous furs and wore them with aplomb!
When women were campaigning to receive the vote in the early 1900s, their suffrage meetings were frequently disrupted by opponents. Many women were forbidden by their husbands or fathers to attend these meetings, and others simply did not have the confidence to do so because of the strong, chaotic opposition.
Pink Teas were developed as a way for women to gather and discuss various issues of importance including suffrage. Only women were invited, and frilly decorations and many pink doilies festooned the tea tables. Only the organizer of the Pink Tea knew if there would be a formal discussion on strategies to obtain the vote or just pleasant conversation so, if opposition appeared, the organizer could change the subject!
As a result, the opposition, who were usually men, felt uncomfortable about attending a tea, particularly a Pink Tea, and would generally avoid interfering in order to avoid embarrassment. But perhaps even more important, the good-hearted men, who genuinely feared for the safety of their wives at political meetings, were far more comfortable about their loved ones attending a Pink Tea.
"Teachers have often encouraged their students to host a ‘Pink Tea’ in celebration of their study about the Famous 5. They invite parents and other community guests to join them for an afternoon tea and a “conversation of consequence” where they share their views on an issue that challenges their community. This is an excellent opportunity for students to use the knowledge they have gained, as well as to put their critical thinking skills to use in a debate about issues of importance.
To add to this special occasion, students might also dress in period costumes with old-fashioned hats, and present the Readers’ Theatre performance which is also available on this site.”