{"id":3274,"date":"2024-12-10T08:04:38","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T14:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/?p=3274"},"modified":"2024-12-10T08:04:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T14:04:40","slug":"why-emily-murphy-became-the-first-female-judge-in-edmonton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/eternal-3274-why-emily-murphy-became-the-first-female-judge-in-edmonton","title":{"rendered":"Why Emily Murphy Became the First Female Judge in Edmonton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Emily Murphy was a remarkable woman from Edmonton. A talented writer, journalist, judge, politician, and reformer, she is remembered and celebrated by women worldwide. She became the first female magistrate in the British Empire. More on <a href=\"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/\">edmontonka.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0058322b74e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #090909;color:#090909\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #090909;color:#090909\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0058322b74e\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/eternal-3274-why-emily-murphy-became-the-first-female-judge-in-edmonton\/#Childhood\" >Childhood<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/eternal-3274-why-emily-murphy-became-the-first-female-judge-in-edmonton\/#Education_and_Career\" >Education and Career<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/eternal-3274-why-emily-murphy-became-the-first-female-judge-in-edmonton\/#The_First_Female_Judge_in_Canada\" >The First Female Judge in Canada<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/eternal-3274-why-emily-murphy-became-the-first-female-judge-in-edmonton\/#Later_Years\" >Later Years<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Childhood\"><\/span>Childhood<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily was born on March 14, 1868, in Cookstown, Ontario. Her family was prominent, with her father, mother, and other relatives holding influential positions. Her maternal grandfather, a politician and newspaper owner, established the first Orange Order lodge in Canada. Emily grew up surrounded by influential individuals and was raised in an environment of privilege and ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Education_and_Career\"><\/span>Education and Career<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1887, Emily attended a prestigious private Anglican school for girls in Toronto. During her final year, she married Arthur Murphy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1907, Emily and her husband moved to Edmonton. She began contributing regularly to prominent Canadian publications and received critical acclaim for her books and collections of short stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily seamlessly balanced her family life with her literary and reformist activities, advocating for the rights of women and children. She traveled extensively through Alberta&#8217;s rural areas. During one of these trips, she encountered a woman whose husband had abandoned her, sold their jointly built family business, and left her with nothing. Legally, the woman had no right to contest his actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This story deeply affected Emily, and she began her campaign to protect women\u2019s property rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1915, the Alberta legislature, persuaded by Emily Murphy\u2019s arguments, passed the Dower Act. This legislation granted women the right to contest the sale or lease of property without their consent. Emily\u2019s efforts helped secure justice for the woman and paved the way for future reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily went on to serve in leadership roles, including within the Canadian Women\u2019s Press Club. That same year, she was awarded the Order of St. John of Jerusalem for her contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edmontonka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/12\/1-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.edmontonka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/12\/1-9.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.edmontonka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/12\/1-9-300x251.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_First_Female_Judge_in_Canada\"><\/span>The First Female Judge in Canada<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily\u2019s career took an unexpected turn in 1916 when members of the Edmonton Local Council of Women were barred from attending a court case involving women accused of prostitution. Outraged, Emily protested to the provincial Attorney General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following this incident, she was appointed a police magistrate for the city of Edmonton and later for the province of Alberta. This appointment made her the first female magistrate in the British Empire. In this role, she became an advocate for women\u2019s rights in the justice system and a leader in the fight against drug trafficking. On October 18, Emily ruled that women had the same rights as men under the Canadian Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While serving as a judge, Emily continued writing and publishing her works. One of her most notable contributions as a judge was her 1922 article &#8220;The Black Candle,&#8221; published in <em>Maclean\u2019s<\/em>. The article detailed the dangers of drug trafficking and its harmful effects. Her remarks led local authorities to enact several laws regulating drug control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily was a true suffragist. During her time as a judge, she faced significant opposition due to the Constitution\u2019s failure to recognize women as &#8220;persons.&#8221; In response, she launched a ten-year campaign for women\u2019s legal recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1927, Emily invited several women seeking seats in the Canadian Senate to join her efforts. She prepared a petition to be submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1928, the Supreme Court rejected her petition. A year later, however, the Privy Council overturned the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision, concluding that women could be appointed to the Senate and enjoyed the same legal rights as men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Later_Years\"><\/span>Later Years<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily remained active in Canadian legislative reform, often experiencing stress and frustration over persistent injustices, which took a toll on her health. She developed diabetes as a result of prolonged stress. After battling the illness for three years, she passed away in 1933.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emily Murphy was a remarkable woman from Edmonton. A talented writer, journalist, judge, politician, and reformer, she is remembered and celebrated by women worldwide. She became the first female magistrate in the British Empire. More on edmontonka.com. Childhood Emily was born on March 14, 1868, in Cookstown, Ontario. Her family was prominent, with her father, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":408,"featured_media":3278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1034],"tags":[2079,2081,2080,2086,2082,1997,2084,2089,2087,2076,2083,2078,2085,2088,2077],"motype":[1045],"moformat":[66],"moimportance":[33],"class_list":{"0":"post-3274","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-life","8":"tag-alberta-dower-act","9":"tag-alberta-history","10":"tag-british-empire-magistrate","11":"tag-canadian-senate","12":"tag-canadian-suffragist","13":"tag-edmonton-history","14":"tag-emily-murphy-biography","15":"tag-famous-canadian-women","16":"tag-feminism-in-canada","17":"tag-first-female-judge","18":"tag-legal-reformer","19":"tag-suffrage-movement","20":"tag-the-black-candle","21":"tag-womens-property-rights","22":"tag-womens-rights-pioneer","23":"motype-eternal","24":"moformat-vlasna","25":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatori"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3274"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3281,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3274\/revisions\/3281"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3274"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=3274"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=3274"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontonka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=3274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}