Martha Black
Black, Martha Louise
Martha Louise Black, née Munger, naturalist (b at Chicago, Ill 24 Feb 1866; d at Whitehorse, YT
When George Black was appointed commissioner of the Yukon (1912-18), Martha reigned as first lady. She followed Black to England during WWI; there she received an OBE for her aid to Yukon servicemen and became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for her work with Yukon flora. When George Black was unable to defend his Commons seat in 1935, Martha ran instead. At 70, she campaigned the vast Yukon constituency - often on foot - to become the second woman ever elected to the Canadian Parliament. Martha Black had style and spirit; northerners appreciated these qualities and made her a legend.
Black, Martha Louise
At 70, she campaigned the vast Yukon constituency - often on foot - to become the second woman ever elected to the Canadian Parliament (courtesy Yukon Archives).
Black, Martha Louise
Yukoner Martha Louise Black was a tough pioneer despite her ladylike exterior (courtesy Martha Louise Black Collection/Yukon Archives-3258).
Author MARGARET CARTER
Suggested Reading
M.L. Black, My Ninety Years, ed F. Whyard (1976), and Yukon Flowers (1936); Carol Martin, Martha Black: Gold Rush Pioneer (1996).
Links to Other Sites
Martha Munger Black
A biography of Martha Munger Black, second woman elected to Canada’s House of Commons. From Library and Archives Canada.
Shawnadithit grew anxious waiting for her uncle, Longnon, to return to camp at the junction of Badger Brook and the Exploits River, deep in the wilds of Newfoundland...
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