McClung, Nellie Letitia

Nellie Letitia McClung, née Mooney, suffragist, reformer, legislator, author (b at Chatsworth, Ont 20 Oct 1873; d at Victoria 1 Sept 1951). From 1880 she was raised on a homestead in the Souris Valley, Man, and did not attend school until she was 10. She received a teaching certificate at 16 and then taught school until she married Robert Wesley McClung in 1896. In Manitou, where her husband was a druggist, she became prominent in the WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION, of which her mother-in-law was provincial president. In 1908 McClung published her first novel, Sowing Seeds in Danny, a witty portrayal of a small western town. It was a national best-seller and was followed by numerous short stories and articles in Canadian and American magazines.

Keywords

Born in 1873

Women Leaders

In 1911 the McClungs and their 4 children moved to Winnipeg, where their fifth child was born. The Winnipeg women's rights and reform movement welcomed Nellie as an effective speaker who won audiences with humorous arguments. She played a leading role in the 1914 Liberal campaign against Sir Rodmond ROBLIN's Conservative government, which had refused women suffrage, but moved to Edmonton before the Liberals won in Manitoba in 1915.

In Alberta she continued the fight for female suffrage and for PROHIBITION, dower rights for women, factory safety legislation and many other reforms. She gained wide prominence from addresses in Britain at the Methodist Ecumenical Conference and elsewhere (1921) and from speaking tours throughout Canada and the US, and was a Liberal MLA for Edmonton, 1921-26.

In 1933 the McClungs moved to Vancouver Island, where Nellie completed the first volume of her autobiography, Clearing in the West: My Own Story (1935, repr 1976), and wrote short stories and a syndicated column. In all, she published 16 books, including In Times Like These (1915, repr 1975). Her active life continued: in the Canadian Authors Association, on the CBC's first board of governors, as a delegate to the League of Nations in 1938 and as a public lecturer.

Forgotten for a decade, she was rediscovered by feminists in the 1960s. Although some criticized her maternalistic support of the traditional family structure, most credited her with advancing the feminist cause in her day and recognizing the need for further progress such as the economic independence of women.

See also WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.

McClung, Nellie
McClung advanced the feminist cause in her day and recognized the need for the economic independence of women (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/PA-30212).

McClung, Murphy and Jamieson
Nellie McClung (left), Emily Murphy (right) and Laura Jamieson (March 1916) were the leaders of the feminist cause in western Canada (courtesy City of Edmonton Archives).

Famous 5
The "Women Are Persons!" statue, honouring the contributions of the Famous 5 (Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Emily Murphy), was unveiled on Parliament Hill in 2000 (sculpted by Barbara Paterson, photo by Marc Mennie, courtesy Famous 5 Foundation).

Author M.E. HALLETT

Links to Other Sites

Nellie McClung
This website honours Nellie McClung and other exemplary Canadian activists. Part of the "Celebrating Women's Achievements" series from Library and Archives Canada.

Nellie McClung
Historica’s acclaimed one-minute movies about Canadian history.

Famous Women in Canada
This website chronicles the lives and accomplishments of prominent Canadian women. Produced by Mount Allison University Centre for Canadian Studies in New Brunswick.

The Famous Five
This website focuses on the Famous Five and their struggle to advance the legal rights of Canadian women. From the Heritage Community Foundation in Alberta.

The Persons Case
This website offers copies of correspondence and official documents relating to the "Persons" Case. From Library and Archives of Canada.

Persons Case
This overview of the the historic “Persons Case” focuses on key participants Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby and Henrietta Muir. From the Alberta Women’s Secretariat (now part of Alberta Community Development.)

Face to Face: The Canadian Personalities Hall
Face to Face presents outstanding Canadians – men and women whose ideas and contributions have transformed this country. From the website for the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Extraordinary Canadians
Click on the brief profiles of some "extraordinary Canadians" and the authors who write about them in this series from Penguin Group (Canada.) Also includes bios of artists who created the cover art for each book.

Nellie McClung
A biography of Nellie McClung from the Encyclopedia of Canadian Adult Education.

Allan Gregg in Conversation
Watch videos of Allan Gregg interviews with prominent authors, artists, and cutting-edge thinkers. From the TVO website.

Parks Canada 3-D Tours: Walker Theatre
Take a tour of Winnipeg's Walker Theatre, where, on January 28, 1914, a group of female suffragists staged an evening of satire, poking fun at the politicians and others who would deny women the voting rights that most men enjoyed.

Monument testament to Irish influence in Canada
A news story about a proposed monument celebrating Irish people's contribution to Canada in Vancouver. From canada.com.