11 Facts About Henrietta Edwards

Henrietta Muir Edwards was a Canadian women's rights activist, author and reformer.

Henrietta Edwards was the eldest of "The Famous Five", along with Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby, who fought to have women recognized as "persons" under the law, and for the woman's right to vote in elections.

Henrietta Edwards was born Henrietta Louise Muir in Montreal as well as lived in Montreal.

Henrietta Edwards grew up in an upper-middle-class family that valued culture and religion.

Henrietta Edwards married Dr Oliver C Edwards in 1876 and they had three children: Alice, William, and Margaret.

In 1890, Henrietta Edwards's husband fell ill, so the family moved to the nation's capital, Ottawa.

The NCWC was founded in 1893, the same year the Canadian government commissioned Henrietta Edwards, who was an artist, to paint a set of dishes for the Canadian exhibit at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

Henrietta Edwards served for 35 years as their chair for Laws Governing Women and Children, and because of her expertise in this area of the law was appointed chair of the organization's Provincial Council of Alberta.

Mrs Henrietta Edwards was part of the selected committee, and it was the first time in Canadian history that a woman had been called upon for a review of public policy with the Government.

Henrietta Edwards wrote two books about women and the legal problems she was trying to overcome: Legal Status of Canadian Women and Legal Status of Women in Alberta.

In 1962, Henrietta Edwards was recognized as Person of National Historic Significance by the government of Canada.