Flora MacDonald Denison ( Merrill; February 20, 1867 – May 23, 1921) was a Canadian activist, journalist, and businesswoman known for her leadership in the Canadian suffragist movement and her stewardship of

Bon Echo Provincial Park Bon Echo Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeastern Ontario, Canada, approximately north of Cloyne within the township boundaries of both Addington Highlands and North Frontenac. Bon Echo features several lakes, including part of Mazi ...

in Ontario.

Early life and career

Flora Merrill was born on February 20, 1867, in Tweed, Hastings County, Ontario. She was the third youngest of eight siblings born to George A Merrill and Elizabeth MacTavish Thompson. Denison grew up in a household that struggled financially. Her sister, Mary, died at a young age; Denison later wrote a novel, ''Mary Melville'', about her sister's spiritualism. After working as a seamstress and a teacher, she settled in Toronto in 1893 and became a dressmaker. In 1910, Denison and her husband bought the Echo Inn which they operated as a wilderness retreat for artists. An admirer of

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

, Denison published a literary magazine, ''The Sunset of Bon Echo'', in tribute to Whitman's work and organized the creation of a large stone monument dedicated to him at the nearby

Mazinaw Lake Lake Mazinaw is a lake in the Addington Highlands north of Kaladar in Eastern Ontario. The lake is situated on the upper Mississippi River. It has a perimeter of and averages in depth with a maximum depth of , making it the seventh-deepest lake ...

Involvement with the suffragist movement

Denison's involvement in the movement for women's rights grew after her move to Toronto. She joined the Canadian Suffrage Association in 1906 when it was founded by

Augusta Stowe-Gullen Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen (July 27, 1857 – September 25, 1943), was a Canadian medical doctor, lecturer and suffragist. She was born in Mount Pleasant, Ontario as the daughter of Emily Howard Stowe and John Fiuscia Michael Heward Stowe. A plaqu ...

and became an active member and campaigner. In 1906, Denison traveled to Copenhagen as Canada's delegate to the

International Woman Suffrage Alliance The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

. She also attended the International Woman's Suffrage Alliance convention in Budapest in 1913. After meeting the British activist

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst ('' née'' Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was an English political activist who organised the UK suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote. In 1999, ''Time'' named her as one of the 100 Most Impo ...

in London, she organized the latter's first trip to Canada in 1909. She served as president of the Canadian Suffrage Association from 1911 to 1914, until her controversial support for the militant tactics of the

Women’s Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...

in England resulted in her forced resignation. Denison also turned to writing and public speaking as a means of promoting her beliefs. Her first major speaking event took place in 1904 before an audience of 5,000 at the

Lily Dale Lily Dale is a hamlet, connected with the Spiritualist movement, located in the Town of Pomfret on the east side of Cassadaga Lake, next to the Village of Cassadaga. Located in southwestern New York State, it is one hour southwest of Buffalo ...

Spiritualist center in 1902. For four years from 1909 to 1913, Denison had her own weekly column in the ''Toronto Sunday World'' in which she wrote about women's issues. Denison encouraged women to imagine how they might create a different society, and promoted the creation of child care centers for poor working families. She argued that women's freedom would require them to gain financial independence from men and advocated against the gendered division of labor in society. Denison advocated for an anti-war position in her 1914 publication ''Women and War''. She also corresponded about the women's vote with Ontario Premier James Whitney and Canadian Prime Minister

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

. In the U.S., Denison worked as a lecturer for the

National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National ...

in 1917.

Family

Denison married Howard Denison in Detroit, in 1892. Denison's son,

Merrill Denison Merrill Denison (23 June 1893 — 13 June 1975) was a Canadian playwright.Mel Atkey. Broadway North: The Dream of a Canadian Musical Theatre'. Dundurn; 30 October 2006. . p. 45–. He created many dramas which were broadcast during the early days ...

, became a popular Canadian playwright.

Later life

Towards the end of her life, Denison's health worsened as a result of several illnesses including the

Spanish influenza The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

. She died on May 23, 1921, as a result of pneumonia developed from influenza, at the age of 54.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denison, Flora MacDonald Canadian suffragists 1867 births 1921 deaths Activists from Ontario People from Hastings County Deaths from pneumonia in Ontario