Adelaide Hoodless
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Adelaide Sophia Hoodless (née Addie Hunter; February 27, 1858 – February 26, 1910) was a Canadian educational reformer who founded the international women's organization known as the
Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the ...
. She was the second president of the
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), holding the position from 1890–1902. She maintained important ties to the business community of Hamilton and achieved great political and public attention through her work.


Early life and education

Adelaide Hunter was born on a farm in St George,
Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...
(now
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
), the youngest of twelve children. Her father died a few months after her birth on October 13, 1858. Her mother, Jane Hamilton Hunter, was left to manage the farm and a large household. Perhaps the hard work and isolation of her youth inspired Hoodless to take up the cause of domestic reform years later. After her years in a one-room schoolhouse, she stayed with her sister Lizzie while attending 'Ladies College' in Brantford, Ontario. While there, she met John Hoodless who was also the close friend of her sister Lizzie's future husband, Seth Charlton. John Hoodless was the only surviving son of a successful Hamilton furniture manufacturer (Joseph Hoodless). She married John Hoodless on September 14, 1881, and moved to
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
.


Career

As she entered a more public life, she exchanged the name 'Addie' for 'Adelaide'. She also exchanged her life as a hard-working girl in a full and busy rural farmhouse for the life of a Victorian socialite. Adelaide and John had four children: Edna, Muriel, Bernard (Bernie) and John Harold. Then personal tragedy struck: on August 10, 1889, her infant son John Harold died at the age of 14 months – from what has been attributed to as "summer complaint" but his death register states his cause of death as meningitis following an illness of 10 days duration. Adelaide was devastated. Her mother, Jane Hamilton Hunter, who had managed the farm where Adelaide grew up after the death of Addie's father David in 1857, had died only one year before on August 26, 1888—just after John Harold's birth on June 23, 1888. It was after her son's death that Adelaide's public life began. She wanted to ensure that women had the knowledge to prevent deaths like those of her child and she devoted herself to the betterment of education for new mothers. She became the second president of the Hamilton branch of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in 1890, a role she used to work towards the establishment of domestic science education, and taught classes in
domestic science Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...
(
home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...
). Hoodless is credited with being the founder of the Canadian National YWCA in 1895. In January 1897, the Minister of Education asked Adelaide to write a textbook for Domestic Science courses. In 1898 she published a book ''Public School Domestic Science''. This became known as the 'Little Red Book'. It stressed the importance of hygiene, cleanliness and frugality. In addition to these projects, Adelaide travelled all over the province, speaking on the subject of domestic science. She was a lively and engaging speaker and between 1894 and 1898 she gave 60 addresses.
Erland Lee Erland Lee (1864 – 1926) was a Canadian farmer, teacher, and government employee from Stoney Creek, Ontario. He was a co-founder of the Women's Institutes, an international organization originally formed to promote the education of isolate ...
, of Stoney Creek, heard Adelaide speak, and her message resonated with him. He asked Adelaide to speak at his Farmer's Institute Ladies Night meeting, on Feb 12th, 1897. When she spoke that night, she suggested forming a group with a purpose to broaden the knowledge of domestic science and agriculture as well as to socialize. This group was to become the first branch of the Women's Institute, with Adelaide as honorary president and Christina Ann Smith as president. Within a decade more than 500 branches been organized across Canada. Adelaide had met Lady Aberdeen through her work with the National Council for Women. Now concerned about families living in isolated surroundings with little or no access to medical care, Lady Aberdeen sought Adelaide's support. Her own campaign merged nicely with this goal. Adelaide worked with Lady Aberdeen to found the
National Council of Women of Canada The National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC, french: Conseil national des femmes du Canada, (''CNFC'')) is a Canadian advocacy organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, aimed at improving conditions for women, families, and communities. A federati ...
, the
Victorian Order of Nurses The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) has been leading home and community care in Canada for over a century. Today, VON provides home and community support services to over 10,000 people every day across Ontario and Nova Scotia. It is registered as a ...
and the National Association of the
YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
. By Oct of 1902, the Ministry of Education was about to make domestic science a regular part of the curriculum in Ontario schools but Adelaide already had her sights on the next step. She wanted Domestic Science to be offered at the university level. She also knew she needed a wealthy patron to finance the project. She approached Sir
William Christopher Macdonald Sir William Christopher Macdonald (10 February 1831 – 9 June 1917) was a Canadian tobacco manufacturer and major education philanthropist in Canada. Though born in Prince Edward island, he is considered a Scots-Quebecer. Early life and ca ...
, a wealthy Montreal non-smoker, who had made his money in tobacco. Her Ontario Normal School of Domestic Science and Art in Hamilton became the MacDonald Institute of Home Economics which became part of the
University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...
. In 1907, the Women's Institute marked its 10th anniversary by commissioning Toronto artist
John Wycliffe Lowes Forster J. W. L. Forster or, more formally, John Wycliffe Lowes Forster (31 December 1850 – 24 April 1938) was a Canadians, Canadian artist specializing in portrait painting, portraits. Many of his works can be found at the National Gallery of Canad ...
to paint her portrait. The painting was donated to the MacDonald Institute. On February 26, 1910, Adelaide travelled by train to Toronto to speak at St. Margaret's College on "Women and Industrial Life". Adelaide Hunter Hoodless's death was registered as the result of heart failure. She was buried in Hamilton, March 1, 1910. Having died one day before her 52nd birthday.


Legacy

Adelaide Hoodless is credited as a co-founder of the Women's Institutes, the
National Council of Women of Canada The National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC, french: Conseil national des femmes du Canada, (''CNFC'')) is a Canadian advocacy organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, aimed at improving conditions for women, families, and communities. A federati ...
, the
Victorian Order of Nurses The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) has been leading home and community care in Canada for over a century. Today, VON provides home and community support services to over 10,000 people every day across Ontario and Nova Scotia. It is registered as a ...
and the YWCA in Canada. She was a major force behind the formation of three faculties of Household Science. All of these organizations are in existence today. The
Victorian Order of Nurses The Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) has been leading home and community care in Canada for over a century. Today, VON provides home and community support services to over 10,000 people every day across Ontario and Nova Scotia. It is registered as a ...
is a Canadian not-for-profit home-care organization operating in Ontario and Nova Scotia. With a staff of more than 6,400 and supported by more than 6,200 volunteers, it is a daily presence in the lives of many Canadians. There are Councils of Women in 20 cities, in 5 provinces, along with 27 affiliate organizations. The National Council of Women has met formally with the members of the federal Cabinet since 1924 to advocate for policies developed through a grassroots process of consultation and debate. The Women's Institute, internationally organized through the
Associated Country Women of the World The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) is the largest international organization for both rural and urban women, with a membership of nine million in over 70 countries. ACWW holds a triennial conference and publishes a magazine, ''The Cou ...
, has a membership of over 9 million member societies in over 70 countries. In 1911, the year after she died, one of Hamilton's new schools was named after her. Her beloved husband, John, laid the cornerstone. There are also schools named after her in Bridgeworth, and Blaine, Ontario. On October 27, 1937, a cairn dedicated to Hoodless' memory was unveiled by Lady Tweedsmuir in St. George, Ontario. In 1975, Dr. Henry Heard Marshall at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada developed the 'Adelaide Hoodless rose' named after her. In 1993, Canada Post issued a postage stamp to commemorate Hoodless. It features a portrait of Hoodless drawn by artist Heather Cooper. In 2003, the Hoodless Garden, was created as a part of numerous celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the MacDonald Institute in Guelph, Ontario. A sculpture by artist Jan Noestheden takes the form of a larger-than-life aluminum portrait, mounted 6" away from the wall, so light will shine through the image and cast a shadow. Hoodless' childhood home in St George, Ontario, was acquired by the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada (FWIC) in 1959. It was renovated and styled to reflect the time period when Hoodless lived there. In 1995 it was designated a National Historic Site and now operates as a museum.


References


External links


Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* *
www.adelaidehoodless.ca
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoodless, Adelaide 1857 births 1910 deaths Canadian activists People from the County of Brant Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Canadian women activists Textbook writers 19th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 19th-century Canadian women writers