Margaret Fairley
Encyclopedia
Margaret Adele Keeling Fairley (1885 – 1968) was a Canadian
writer, educator, and political activist.
She was born in Bradford
, Yorkshire
, UK
and died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
.
At a time when the university did not grant degrees to women, she studied at Oxford and finished with a "first" in English. She became tutor
in English at St. Hilda's College, and in 1912 was appointed advisor to women students at the University of Alberta
in Edmonton, Canada. She held this position only for a year, before marrying Barker Fairley
, a fellow Yorkshireman and professor of modern languages. The U of A granted her a bachelor of arts
degree. After the birth of Joan (Hall) and Tom, the family moved to Toronto where they had Elizabeth, William and Ann (Schabas) where she lived until her death 1968.
Her first book was an edition of poems (Coleridge Poems, 1794-1807, published in 1910). It includes a 49-page biographical essay introducing Coleridge "as a Poet of Nature and Romance." She was editor of New Frontiers, a journal published by the Labour-Progressive Party
of Canada, and two other books:
She moved in the same intellectual circles as historian Stanley Ryerson and poet Dorothy Livesay
.
In 1949, while attending the Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
in New York, she was deported from the United States
.
On June 23, 1972, the City of Toronto named a park after her at the corner of Brunswick Avenue and Ulster Street. The City provided a plaque with her name on a granite boulder. A bit later, family and friends raised the money to erect a bronze bust.
Some of her manuscripts are in the collection of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
, University of Toronto
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
writer, educator, and political activist.
She was born in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
At a time when the university did not grant degrees to women, she studied at Oxford and finished with a "first" in English. She became tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
in English at St. Hilda's College, and in 1912 was appointed advisor to women students at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
in Edmonton, Canada. She held this position only for a year, before marrying Barker Fairley
Barker Fairley
Barker Fairley, OC was a British-born painter, writer, and educator and a Canadian citizen. Although educated and brought up in a strong European tradition and background, his important life's scholarship in German literature and art criticism was done in Canada and was about Canadian art and...
, a fellow Yorkshireman and professor of modern languages. The U of A granted her a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree. After the birth of Joan (Hall) and Tom, the family moved to Toronto where they had Elizabeth, William and Ann (Schabas) where she lived until her death 1968.
Her first book was an edition of poems (Coleridge Poems, 1794-1807, published in 1910). It includes a 49-page biographical essay introducing Coleridge "as a Poet of Nature and Romance." She was editor of New Frontiers, a journal published by the Labour-Progressive Party
Labour-Progressive Party
For the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government in New Zealand see the Fifth Labour Government of New ZealandThe Labor-Progressive Party was the legal political organization of the Communist Party of Canada between 1943 and 1959....
of Canada, and two other books:
- The Spirit of Canadian Democracy (1945)
- Selected Writings of William Lyon Mackenzie (1960)
She moved in the same intellectual circles as historian Stanley Ryerson and poet Dorothy Livesay
Dorothy Livesay
Dorothy Kathleen May Livesay, was a Canadian poet who twice won the Governor General`s Award in the 1940s, and was "senior woman writer in Canada" during the 1970s and 1980s.-Life:...
.
In 1949, while attending the Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
in New York, she was deported from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On June 23, 1972, the City of Toronto named a park after her at the corner of Brunswick Avenue and Ulster Street. The City provided a plaque with her name on a granite boulder. A bit later, family and friends raised the money to erect a bronze bust.
Some of her manuscripts are in the collection of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is a library in the University of Toronto, constituting the largest repository of publicly accessible rare books and manuscripts in Canada. The library is also home to the university archives which, in addition to institutional records, also contains the papers...
, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
External links
- The People vs. Barker and Margaret Fairley, University of Toronto Bulletin.