Cairine reay wilson biography

Cairine's roots were in the Strath of Kildonan, in Sutherlandshire, Scotland. Her great-great grandfather, William Mackay, was a crofter there until the time of the Highland Clearances and in the spring of , left with his family and settled in Roster, a crofting community in the north-east county of Caithness. It was from Roster that Cairine's great-uncle Joseph, the third youngest of the family of ten born to William and his wife, Anne, emigrated to Montreal, Canada in at the age of His brother, Edward followed him to Canada in and eventually entered into partnership with Joseph in his dry goods company.

When Joseph and Edward died in and respectively,the dry goods business was left to their three nephews, sons of their sister Euphemia and her husband, Angus Mackay of Lybster in Caithness. By this time, the boys, Hugh, James and Robert had also emigrated to Canada. Following the death of James and then Hugh, Robert inherited their estates and through his good business sense and wise investments, accumulated significant wealth.

In , he retired from the family business to devote his energies to managing the, by now, enormous Mackay estates. His list of directorships and company offices were long and in he was elevated to the Senate. Cairine was raised in a staunch Presbyterian home and life with a rigid disciplinarian father could not always have been happy. Cairine, always shy, grew into a warm and compassionate woman, qualities she inherited from her mother.

She was born into a family of Scottish-Canadians that were very wealthy and influential. Cairine Wilson was introduced to her future husband by Laurier's wife, Zoe, at a state ball. Before his death, however, they moved to Cumberland, Ontario , and raised eight children together. In , Wilson and her family moved to Ottawa , where Cairine performed extensive volunteer work.

This includes working with underprivileged children, refugees and the poor, as well as running political organizations that influence women and children to get involved in politics. Wilson was appointed the first female senator of the country at the age of 45 in February by the government of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King ; this was just four months after the Persons Case judgment was handed down by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Previously, women had not been allowed to serve in the Senate, as tradition and lower courts had not considered women to be "qualified persons" as written in the BNA Act, and were prohibited from being called to the Senate. During the Second World War , the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King was resistant to permitting Jewish refugees from Germany to settle in Canada, but she arranged the acceptance of orphans.

In , at the request of King's successor Louis St. She was given the Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor by France in for her work with child refugees. Wilson again made parliamentary history in when she became the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Canadian Senate. Wilson was recognized for her continuous dedication to advocacy-related work.

In , Wilson established the National Organization of Young Liberals, with the support of her friends and family. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. January 8, Retrieved January 08, from Encyclopedia. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.

Women Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps Wilson, Cairine — Wilson, Cairine — gale. Learn more about citation styles Citation styles Encyclopedia. More From encyclopedia. About this article Wilson, Cairine — Updated About encyclopedia.

Cairine reay wilson biography

Wilson, Bryan R onald Wilson, Brittney Wilson, Bridgette —. Wilson, Brian Douglas. Wilson, Brian Anthony ? Wilson, Brian A. Wilson, Brandon —. Wilson, Bertha —. Wilson, Barbara Ellen. Wilson, Augusta Evans — Wilson, August — Wilson, August Wilson, Antoine —. Wilson, Anne Glenny — Wilson, Angus. Wilson, Andrew —. Wilson, Andrew Wilson, Alan Herries.

Wilson, Carnie —. Wilson, Catherine. Wilson, Catherine — Wilson, Cedric W illiam M alcolm Wilson, Charles. Wilson, Charles Mills. Wilson, Charles Kemmons. Wilson, Charlotte — Wilson, Christopher R. Wilson, Dale. Biographies Cairine Wilson Politician, Senator. Senator Cairine R. An essay by student Carrie Lau from Markham, Ontario. The essay is available online as a PDF document.

National Film Board production, , 11 min.