Nellie McClung : Short Biography

Nellie McClung was a novelist and a prominent player in the Canadian women's suffrage movement. The daughter of Irish immigrants, she would go on to achieve noteriety as one of the 'Famous Five' of Canadian suffrage. 

Nellie McClung was born on the 20th of October 1873 in Chatsworth, Ontario to John Mooney (1812-1893) of Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, and Scotswoman Letitia McCurdy (1833-1920). At the age of seven, her family relocated to Manitoba. She qualified as a teacher at the age of 16 at the Winnipeg Teacher's College and got a job in a school in Manitou where she first became involved in social reform activism. At the age of 23 she married a pharmacist named Robert Wesley McClung with whom she would go on to have five children. They moved to Winnipeg in 1911. This move saw an increase in Nellie's involvement in social reform. This began with her membership of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. This involvement let to her turning her attentions to the fight for suffrage. In 1914 she was part of a group that staged a mock women's parliament wherein she played the role of Manitoba Premier, Sir Rodomnd Roblin. During this mock parliament the women held a satirical discussion regarding the dangers of allowing men to vote. In 1915 she campaigned heavily for the Liberal Party on the topic of votes for women. In 1916 Manitoba became the first Canadian province to grant women the right to vote. 

Nellie McClung was famously involved in the Person's Case. This regarded the working of the British North America Act which referred to 'persons' as males. The implication of this was that women could not be appointed to any offical positions of power as they were not technically regarded by the law as 'persons'. The was one of five women who fought against the wording of the BNA Act and was successful in lobbying the British Privy Council for reform as they eventually ruled in favour of the women. This resulted in the first woman being appointed to the Canadian Senate just a few months later. 

In her career as an author, Nellie McClung wrote 16 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Her first book Sowing Seeds in Danny was released in 1908 and became a national best-seller. She was also a firm believer in eugenics and maternal feminism 

Nellie McClung died on the 1st of September 1951 in British Columbia.