Henrietta Edwards Essay, Research Paper
HENRIETTA MUIR EDWARDS
Born in Montreal on December 18, 1849, Henrietta Muir Edwards was one of Alberta’s
“Famous Five Women”. She began her fight for woman’s rights at her home in Montreal with
her sister. Here she founded the Working Girls’ Club, which offered meals, reading rooms and
study classes, in 1875. Henrietta and her sister then published the periodical, known as the
“Working Women of Canada”. They paid the costs of publishing the paper by depriving
themselves of all personal luxuries. Henrietta also made money by selling miniature paintings.
In 1886 Henrietta Muir became Henrietta Muir Edwards when she married Dr. Oliver
Cromwell Edwards. Her husband soon took a job at Fort McCloed. Here she met the other four
women involved in Alberta’s “Famous Five Women”. The group included Emily Murphy, Nellie
McClung, Irene Parlby and Louise McKinny. With their help Mrs. Edwards began her fight to
change the law on Woman’s rights. They began by getting the right and the ability to vote. Once
they achieved this new Democratic power, Nellie McClung called a meeting on how they could
best use it. They decided on the formation of a Provincial Laws Committee where Henrietta Muir
Edwards was elected to be the Chairman and Irene Parlby as Vice Chairman. With her new
responsibilities she began to change federal and provincial laws concerning women, marriage,
divorce, adoption, property and dower rights, child protection, minimum wage and widows
allowance.
In 1916 she published the first edition of “The Legal Status of Women in Alberta”, which
was the same year women achieved the right to vote. In 1921 and 1924 she published to more
issues. Mrs. Edwards then prepared the “Legal Handbook” and kept it up to date. She stayed as
chairman for the “Law Committee of the Council of Women” for over 35 years. She became a
Red Cross leader during the war and when money was scarce during the war, she became the first
woman in Canadian history to be asked by the government to review Canadian Policy. She told
the government more then they wanted to know when she said, “war or no war there should be a
Department of Public Health and a Department of Child Welfare”.
Henrietta Muir Edwards died at Fort McCloed on November 10, 1931. In her honor two
plaques were erected in her honor. The first plaque is located at the entrance to the Senate
Chamber in Ottawa and the other at the post office in Fort McCloed.