Maria Grant (born Maria Heathfield Pollard, 1854 − 1937) was an early Canadian women's rights activist in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and first woman in Canada elected to any political office.

Early life

Grant was born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Career

In 1895 Grant was elected as the first female school board trustee in British Columbia. She was active in the

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

and helped to found the Victoria Local Council of Women in 1894 which was created to facilitate communication between women and women's organizations to discuss the issues pertinent in their community. The Victoria Local Council of Women went on to become the first Council in Canada to endorse women's suffrage and Maria Grant was honored by the Council for her more than 30 years of work towards women's suffrage in 1987.

Personal life

Grant married marine engineer Gordon Grant in Victoria in 1874. She had nine children, of which seven survived to adulthood.

References

1843 births 1907 deaths British Columbia school board members Canadian women's rights activists People from Quebec City Women in British Columbia politics {{Fem-activist-stub