Rose Henderson (1871–1937) was a Canadian political activist and social reformer.

Personal life

Rose Mary Louise Wills was born on 14 December 1871 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

to middle-class parents of English ancestry. She moved to Canada in 1885 as a teenager. She married Charles Henderson, though the date and location of the marriage are unknown. The couple had a daughter, Ida, who was born in 1890 in Quebec. Rose's husband, Charles, died at

Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal The Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) (french: Hôpital Royal Victoria), colloquially known as the "Royal Vic" or "The Vic", is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It forms the biggest base hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) ...

in January 1904. There is no evidence showing that Henderson was politically active before her husband's death. In 1911 Henderson converted to the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

Political career

After Charles's death, Rose Henderson became an activist and social reformer on behalf of Montreal's working class districts. In 1912 Henderson was appointed as a probation officer for the juvenile court. She unsuccessfully ran for Parliament of Canada in 1921 and 1925. She was a member of the

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit non-governmental organization working "to bring together women of different political views and philosophical and religious backgrounds determined to study and make kno ...

and in 1936 participated in the World Peace Conference. Henderson contributed to the development of feminist thought distinct from first wave and second wave feminism. She published ''Kids what I knows'', a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by the children she worked with.

Death

Henderson died on 30 January 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Rose 1871 births 1937 deaths People from County Dublin Irish emigrants to Canada (before 1923) Activists from Montreal Canadian suffragists Canadian socialists Baháʼí feminists Canadian socialist feminists Canadian feminists