Emily Murphy (March 14, 1868 - October 17, 1933) was a Canadian women's rights activist, jurist, and author. In 1916, she became the first woman magistrate in Canada, and in the British Empire. She is best known for her contributions to Canadian feminism, specifically to the question of whether women were "persons" under Canadian law.
In 1927, Murphy and four other women: Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby, w...
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Emily Murphy (March 14, 1868 - October 17, 1933) was a Canadian women's rights activist, jurist, and author. In 1916, she became the first woman magistrate in Canada, and in the British Empire. She is best known for her contributions to Canadian feminism, specifically to the question of whether women were "persons" under Canadian law.
In 1927, Murphy and four other women: Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby, who together came to be known as "The Famous Five" (also called "The Valiant Five"), launched the "Persons Case," contending that women could be "qualified persons" eligible to sit in the Senate. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that they were not. However, upon appeal to the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council — the court of last resort for Canada at that time — the women won their case. Cairine Wilson was subsequently appointed the first woman senator in 1930.
Murphy was also a journalist and author. Her experience in the courts...
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