Elsie Gill Biography

Elsie MacGill wasn’t your average girl during the mid-1900’s. She wanted to help for the greater of human kind in all aspects of things. She wanted to be the best and in her case she was. Elsie, along with her mother were set a lot “firsts” and were top to the some of the world’s best. Elsie loved contributed to society and many other things in her lifetime including fighting for women’s rights, designing airplanes for the Second World War Elsie was born on March 27th, 1905 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her two parents set great examples for her and thrived her for the best she could be. Her dad James Henry MacGill was a well-known layer and her mother Helen Gregory MacGill was a journalist and BC’s first women judge. Helen worked to change legislation to improve the lives of women and children in Canada and was a strong role model for her daughter. Elsie had two step older step brothers from her mother’s first marriage. In Elsie’s early years, all of her siblings were homeschooled including herself. They received drawing

After Elsie broke her leg in 1953, she used the opportunity of her months on the mend to write a biography on her mothers life. She published the book, My Mother, the Judge: A Biography of Judge Helen Gregory MacGill, in 1955. Her mother’s dedication and work in the suffrage movement, inspired her to spend an increasing amount of time dealing with women’s rights during the 1960’s. Elsie served as president of the Canadian Federation of Business and professional women’s clubs from 1962-1964. In 1967 she was appointed Royal Commission on the Status of Women. In this position she fought for abortion to be removed from the entirety of the Criminal Code and paid maternity leave. “I have received many engineering awards but I hope I will also be remembered as an advocate for the rights of women and