Violet McNaughton (activist)
Violet McNaughton | |
|---|---|
McNaughton, c. 1910 | |
| Born | Violet Clara Jackson November 11, 1879 |
| Died | February 3, 1968 (aged 88) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | activist, newspaper editor, journalist |
| Years active | c. 1914–1959 |
| Spouse | John McNaughton (1910–1965; his death) |
Violet Clara McNaughton (born Violet Clara Jackson; November 11, 1879 – February 3, 1968) was a Canadian journalist and agrarian feminist notable for co-establishing The Western Producer and contributing to its "Mainly for Women" pages from 1925 until her retirement in 1950. A settler and farmer of Harris, Saskatchewan (land of the Plains Cree), she was an active member of the Women's Section of the Canadian Council of Agriculture as well as the first president of the Women Grain Growers (WGG), a branch of the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association (SGGA). McNaughton is considered the leader of women's suffrage in Saskatchewan and is recognized as the most influential Canadian farm woman of the 20th century. McNaughton was a known pacifist and supporter of women's suffrage and anti-war movements in Canada.
McNaughton focused on conditions of working class Anglo-European women and families in the Canadian Prairies. She was a self described "ardent feminist" and active supporter of women, egalitarian values and co-operation. Her presence as activist and farm woman defied the strong prejudice against women farmers and laborers present in western Canada.