Cairine Wilson
Encyclopedia
Cairine Reay Mackay Wilson (February 4, 1885 – March 3, 1962) was Canada's
first female senator
.
, she was the daughter of Jane Mackay and Robert Mackay
, a Liberal
Senator and personal friend of Sir Wilfrid Laurier
. She attended Elmwood School
and was "head girl" in her graduating year. In 1909, she married Norman Wilson
, the Liberal Member of Parliament
for Russell
and they moved to Cumberland, Ontario
to begin a family. In 1918, the Wilsons moved to Ottawa
, where Cairine performed extensive volunteer work. She helped found the Twentieth Century Liberal Association and the National Federation of Liberal Women of Canada, of which she was President from 1938 to 1948.
She was appointed the first female senator of the country at the age of 45 in February 1930 by the government of Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
, just four months after the Persons Case judgment was handed down by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
. Previously, women had not been allowed to serve in the Senate as lower courts had ruled they were not full "persons" under the law.
As president of the League of Nations Society of Canada in 1938, Senator Wilson spoke out against the Munich Agreement
's appeasement of Hitler. During the Second World War
, the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King was resistant to permitting Jewish refugees from Germany to settle in Canada, but she was able to arrange the acceptance of 100 orphans.
, she became Canada's first female delegate to the United Nations General Assembly
. She was the chairman of the Canadian National Committee on Refugees and the first woman to chair Senate Standing Committee (Immigration and Labour). She was given the Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honour by France in 1950 for her work with child refugees.
ary history in 1955 when she became the first woman Deputy Speaker
of the Canadian Senate.
Cairine Wilson died suddenly of heart attack on Saturday, March 3, 1962.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
first female senator
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
.
Early life
Born Cairine Reay Mackay in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, she was the daughter of Jane Mackay and Robert Mackay
Robert Mackay
Robert Mackay was a Canadian businessman and statesman.An 1855 emigrant to Montreal, Canada from his birthplace in Caithness, Scotland, Robert Mackay got his start working at the Henry Morgan & Company department store. He then went to work for Mackay Brothers wholesalers, owned by his uncles...
, a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Senator and personal friend of Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
. She attended Elmwood School
Elmwood School (Ottawa)
Elmwood School is an independent day school for girls located in Rockcliffe Park in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It was founded in 1915 and is an International Baccalaureate World School...
and was "head girl" in her graduating year. In 1909, she married Norman Wilson
Norman Frank Wilson
Norman Frank Wilson was an Ontario farmer and political figure.-Early life; and political office:He was born in Cumberland Township, Ontario in 1876, the son of William Wilson and Mary McElroy. He studied at Upper Canada College and the Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph...
, the Liberal Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Russell
Russell (Ontario electoral district)
Russell was a federal and provincial electoral district in eastern Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1967....
and they moved to Cumberland, Ontario
Cumberland, Ontario
Cumberland was a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, that existed from 1800 to 1999, when it was incorporated as the City of Cumberland. It ceased to be a separate municipality in 2001, when it was amalgamated into the city of Ottawa.-History:...
to begin a family. In 1918, the Wilsons moved to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, where Cairine performed extensive volunteer work. She helped found the Twentieth Century Liberal Association and the National Federation of Liberal Women of Canada, of which she was President from 1938 to 1948.
Senator
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, just four months after the Persons Case judgment was handed down by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...
. Previously, women had not been allowed to serve in the Senate as lower courts had ruled they were not full "persons" under the law.
As president of the League of Nations Society of Canada in 1938, Senator Wilson spoke out against the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
's appeasement of Hitler. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King was resistant to permitting Jewish refugees from Germany to settle in Canada, but she was able to arrange the acceptance of 100 orphans.
Delegate to UN
In 1949, at the request of King's successor Louis St. LaurentLouis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
, she became Canada's first female delegate to the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
. She was the chairman of the Canadian National Committee on Refugees and the first woman to chair Senate Standing Committee (Immigration and Labour). She was given the Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honour by France in 1950 for her work with child refugees.
Deputy Speaker of the Senate
Wilson again made parliamentParliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
ary history in 1955 when she became the first woman Deputy Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Canadian Senate.
Family and later life
Her husband Norman, who had been in failing health for some time, died on July 14, 1956; they were the parents of eight children.Cairine Wilson died suddenly of heart attack on Saturday, March 3, 1962.