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Emily Murphy

What is emily murphy?

· Emily Grant

Key facts

Full name Emily Gowan Ferguson Murphy[1]
Birth date 14 March 1868[1]
Death date 27 October 1933[1]
Birth place Cookstown, Ontario[4]
Role First woman magistrate in Canada and the British Empire[1]
Group The Famous Five[1]

Emily Murphy was a Canadian women’s rights activist, author, and the first woman magistrate in Canada and the British Empire, best known for her role in the Persons Case and as one of the Famous Five [1].

Context

Emily Murphy was a Canadian women’s rights activist, author, and magistrate who became the first woman magistrate in Canada and the British Empire in 1916 [1]. She is best known for her role in the Persons Case, which successfully declared women as persons under Canadian law [4]. Murphy was one of the Famous Five, a group that campaigned for women’s legal recognition [1]. She also published *The Black Candle* in 1922, a work on drug addiction [2]. Her legal work included helping establish a Women’s Court in 1916 [2]. She is sometimes confused with Emily W. Murphy, an American government official born in 1973 [3].

Documented claims

  • Emily Murphy was appointed the first female magistrate in Canada and the British Empire in 1916. [1]
  • She led the Persons Case, a successful campaign to have women declared persons under Canadian law. [4]

Questions and answers

Why is Emily Murphy important to Canadian history?

Emily Murphy is important because she was the first woman magistrate in Canada and the British Empire, and she led the Persons Case that declared women as persons under Canadian law [1].

Was Emily Murphy Canadian?

Yes, Emily Murphy was Canadian, born in Cookstown, Ontario, in 1868 [4].

Where is Emily Murphy now?

Emily Murphy died on 27 October 1933, so she is no longer living [1].

Sources

  1. Emily Murphy | Canadian lawyer and writer | Britannica — britannica.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  2. Emily Murphy | History | Research Starters — ebsco.com (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  3. Emily Murphy — thecanadianencyclopedia.ca (retrieved August 3, 2026)
  4. Emily Murphy | Historica Canada Education Portal — education.historicacanada.ca (retrieved August 3, 2026)

Sources last checked August 3, 2026. · More in People