Memorable Manitobans: Firsts

This is a list of Manitobans who did things first.

Person	Year	First
Gerta Elisabeth Allison (1913-2006)	1957	First woman in Manitoba to be certified as a psychiatrist
Ida Cates Steel (1866-1953)	1883	First woman in Manitoba to work as a telephone operator
Sharon Carstairs	1984	First woman in Manitoba to lead a political party
Aileen Alexia Allingham Clarke (1881-1972)	1921	First woman in Manitoba to serve as a Magistrate
Ruth Johanna Eden (1966-2021)	1988	First woman in Manitoba to work as a highways engineer for the provincial government
Thelma Bessie Brown Forbes (1910-2012)	1963	First woman in Manitoba to serve as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
	1966	First woman in Manitoba to serve as a cabinet minister
Ella Cora Hind (1861-1942)	1901	First woman agricultural columnist with the Manitoba Free Press
Isabel Ross MacLean Hunt (1894-1990)	1953	First woman in Manitoba to be appointed a Queen's Counsel
Margaret MacTavish Rogers Konantz (1899-1967)	1963	First woman in Manitoba to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP)
Lillian Kowalchuk	1990	First woman in Manitoba to be certified as a plumber
C. Ruth Krindle	1970	First woman lawyer in Manitoba to serve as a prosecutor
	1971	First woman lawyer in Manitoba to serve as a Crown attorney
	1980	First woman in Manitoba to serve as a judge
Eileen Magill (1906-1964)	1928	First woman in Manitoba to hold a private pilot’s certificate
Pearl Kathryne McGonigal	1981	First woman in Manitoba to serve as Lieutenant Governor
Mary McIlvride	1923	First woman in Manitoba to attend the Union of Manitoba Municipalities annual convention as a delegate
Margaret Stovel McWilliams (1875-1952)	1919	First woman in Manitoba to serve as President of the Canadian Federation of University Women
Marion Ironquill Meadmore	1978	First Indigenous woman in Manitoba called to the Manitoba Bar
Jessie Livingstone Holmes Munro (?-1950)	1889	First woman graduate from the University of Manitoba (Manitoba College)
Florence Edith McTavish Rogers (1876-1947)	1920	First woman in Manitoba to serve as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)
Charlotte Whitehead Ross (1843-1916)	1881	First woman in Manitoba to practice medicine
Mrs. Rowe	1916	First woman in Manitoba outside Winnipeg (Mossey River) to served as a school trustee
Edna Georgia Mary Russell (1913-?)	1946	First woman in Manitoba to receive an engineering degree
Ellen Ann Melrose Sissons (1887-1973)	1915	Called to the Manitoba Bar, she was one of the first two women to practice law in Manitoba
Susan Thompson	1993	First woman to serve as Mayor of Winnipeg
Winifred Maria Wilton (1891-1952)	1915	Called to the Manitoba Bar, she was one of the first two women to practice law in Manitoba

See also:

MHS Features: Manitoba Time Line

Some Manitoba Women Who Did First Things by Lillian Beynon Thomas
MHS Transactions, Series 3, No. 4, 1947-1948

Sources:

“682 university graduates get degrees Wednesday,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 May 1946, page 13.

“Heroines emerge from Manitoba’s history,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 March 1994, page 15.

We thank David Ennis and Ryan Eyford for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 October 2021

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Send corrections and additions to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban  | Firsts | Acknowledgements Support the MHS