Helen Gregory MacGill

Who was Helen Gregory MacGill?

Helen Emma Gregory MacGill was one of Canada's first woman judges and for many years the only woman judge, and a noted women's rights advocate in Canada, where she fought for female suffrage.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, she received a B.A. and an M.A. degree in 1888 from Trinity College, the only woman in her class and the first female graduate. She then went into newspaper work, working as a reporter.

After the death in 1900 of her first husband, Dr. F.C. Flescher, she was married to J.H. MacGill in 1902. She was the mother of Dr. Helen MacGill Hughes and Elsie MacGill, a noted female aeronautical engineer.

She died on February 27, 1947, aged 83, after having served as a judge of the Juvenile Court of Vancouver, British Columbia for 23 years.