28 Facts About Elsie MacGill

Elsie MacGill was chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry in Fort William, Ontario during the Second World War.

Elsie MacGill had two older step-brothers from her mother's first marriage, and an older sister with whom she was very close.

Elsie MacGill was admitted to the Applied Sciences program, but the Dean of the Faculty asked her to leave after only one term.

When Elsie MacGill was 12 years old, her mother was appointed judge of the juvenile court of Vancouver.

Elsie MacGill was admitted to the University of Toronto's Bachelor of Applied Sciences program in 1923.

Elsie MacGill refused to accept that possibility though, and learned to walk supported by two metal canes.

Elsie MacGill graduated from the University of Toronto in 1927, the first Canadian woman to earn a degree in electrical engineering.

Elsie MacGill began part-time graduate studies in aeronautical engineering at the University of Michigan, enrolling in the fall of 1927 in the full-time Master of Science in Engineering program to begin aircraft design work and conduct research and development in the university's new aeronautics facilities.

In 1934, Elsie MacGill started work at Fairchild Aircraft's operations in Longueuil as an assistant aeronautical engineer.

Elsie MacGill contributed to various aviation projects including the Fairchild Super 71, the Fairchild 82, and the Fairchild Sekani.

Elsie MacGill presented a paper, "Simplified Performance Calculations for Aeroplanes", to the Royal Aeronautical Society in Ottawa, on March 22,1938, to high praise.

Elsie MacGill participated in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's six-part series, The Engineer in War Time; her segment was called "Aircraft Engineering in Wartime Canada".

Later that year Elsie MacGill was hired as Chief Aeronautical Engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry.

Elsie MacGill was responsible for designing solutions to allow the aircraft to operate during the winter, introducing de-icing controls and a system for fitting skis for landing on snow.

Again Elsie MacGill was responsible for all engineering and production work, and the plant ultimately produced 835 aircraft, significantly contributing to Allied air power.

Elsie MacGill moved to Toronto, where she set up an aeronautical engineering consulting business with Bill Soulsby in 1943.

In 1952, Elsie MacGill presented a paper to the Society of Women Engineers conference, "The Initiative in Airliner Design", that was published in The Engineering Journal.

Elsie MacGill published the book, My Mother, the Judge: A Biography of Judge Helen Gregory Elsie MacGill, in 1955.

The active public service and work of her mother and grandmother in the suffrage movement inspired Elsie MacGill to spend more time dealing with women's rights in the 1960s.

Elsie MacGill served as President of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs from 1962 to 1964.

Elsie MacGill filed a "Separate Statement" describing those of her opinions which differed from the majority on the commission.

Elsie MacGill was a member of the Ontario Status of Women Committee, an affiliate of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.

Elsie MacGill was the first Canadian woman to earn a bachelors degree in electrical engineering in 1927 and in 1929, she became the first woman in North America, and perhaps the world, to be awarded a Master's degree in aeronautical engineering.

In 1942, Elsie MacGill was hired as Chief Aeronautical Engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry, becoming the first woman in the world to hold such a position.

Elsie MacGill received the Queens' Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977.

In 1983 Elsie MacGill was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, and in 1992 she was a founding inductee in the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in Ottawa.

Also in 2019, Elsie MacGill was the honoree of a Canada Post stamp as part of the "Canadians in Flight" series.

In October 2020, Elsie MacGill was the topic of a Heritage Minute short film honouring her achievements in the Second World War.