At the Olympic Plaza in Calgary stand in a circle five larger-than-life bronze statues of Emily Murphy (1868-1933), Henrietta Muir Edwards (1849-1931), Irene Parlby (1868-1965), Louise McKinney (1868-1931), and Nellie McClung (1873-1951), also known as The Famous Five.
The Famous Five was a group of five Canadian suffragists who fought for the legal right of women to be appointed to the Senate in what became to be known as the Person Case. In 1927, they petitioned the federal government to allow women to run for the Senate. The Supreme Court ruled that women cannot be elected since they are not included in the word ‘persons’ in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867. The Famous Five appealed to the highest court of appeal in the British Empire, and on October 18th, 1929, the Privy Council declared that women are “qualified persons.”
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of this historic event, the Famous 5 Foundation commissioned, with the help of generous female donors, the placement of two monuments honoring the Famous Five. The Canadian sculptress Barbara Paterson designed the sculptures and depicted the Famous Five in the moment of their victory celebration. Nellie McClung holds the newspaper with the October 18th headline; they clap and toast teacups. Next to Emily Murphy, the suffragist who led the fight, is an empty chair, inviting visitors to join them and make the world a better place in their generation.
The monument was unveiled on October 18th, 1999. It is a replica of the statues that were dedicated a year later, on October 18th, 2000, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Another statue of the ‘famous five’ by Helen Granger Young stands on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg.
This post is also available in:
Español
This post is also available in:
Español
