Ella Cora Hind

Ella Cora Hind
Born (1861-09-18)September 18, 1861
Toronto, Canada West
Died October 6, 1942(1942-10-06) (aged 81)
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Occupation journalist
Known for women's rights activism

Ella Cora Hind (September 18, 1861 – October 6, 1942) was Western Canada's first female journalist and a women's rights activist.

On September 18, 1861, a woman by the name of Ella Cora Hind was born in Toronto. Ella Hind is the daughter of Edwin Hind and Jane Carroll. Ella was Edwin and Jane Carroll’s third child. She had two brothers by the name of Joseph and George. These three children lost their parents at a young age. Ella was only two years old when she lost her mother Jane Carol Hind. Later after losing their mom, her mother and father’s family come down near Toronto to be near the children. Not long after that Joseph, George, and Ella than moved in with their grandfather Joseph Hind. Their father was always working, which made it had to attend to the kids so because of their fathers hard work he thought it would be best if the kids were relocated to a farm in Ontario with their grandfather. A few years after being away from their dad he died in Chicago from cholera while working in 1866.

After losing her parents Cora and her grandfather became very close. Cora’s grandfather taught her about farming, horses, and cattle. These were helpful tools that would help her in the future. Living with her grandfather they lived off livestock and grain. This was hard, because growing livestock some years were better than others. Cora also grew up several miles away from school. This delayed her education until she was eleven, so her aunt Alice taught her at home until 1872 when they built a school; on her grandfather’s land. Her family finally relocated to Flesherton, Ontario where Cora finished her primary education. In Orillia, Ontario where Cora lived with her uncle George Hind, and completed high school. This is where she wrote her third class teacher examination.

After high school Cora moved with her Aunt Alice and Cousins Jean and Jacques out west, because her cousins told her teachers were needed in Manitoba. By the time Ella became old enough to better her education she attended the Collegiate Institute of Orillia, Ontario. In 1882 when Cora arrived in Winnipeg instead of going to Manitoba they decided it was best to begin their lives in Winnipeg. Cora’s Aunt ran a dressing shop to earn enough to live, but a few weeks later Cora received a letter saying that she failed her algebra part of the teacher’s exam, which stated that her credentials were inadequate. This did not affect her because she had dreams of becoming a journalist. So Cora took the time out to get in contact with her Uncle George’s friend W. F. Luxton. He had a friend that was an editor of the Manitoba Free Press. The editor Luxton told her “that a newspaper office was no place for a woman who was totally inexperienced.”

A few months later Cora decided to write an article and sent it to Luxton the editor of Manitoba Free Press. He accepted the letter, but chose not to acknowledge her as an author. This situation forced her into becoming a typist. “She worked there until 1893, when she opened her own business as a stenographer .” Ella became the first public typewriter in Manitoba.

Now that Ella Cora Hinds was doing well for herself, she and her Aunt Alice joined The Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is the oldest continuing non-sectarian women's organization worldwide. Founded in Evanston, Illinois in 1873, the group spearheaded the crusade for prohibition. Cora also linked up with Dr. Amelia Yeomans, because she wanted women to have rights to vote. They both formed Manitoba Equal Suffrage Club. Their motto was “Peace on earth, good will towards men." Cora Hind and Dr. Yeomans worked hard to improve the lives of women and the poor, Cora than became a member of The Winnipeg Chapter of Canadian Women's Press Club.

Along with all of the duties that Ella had dedicated herself she still had a strong interest in farming. Living in Winnipeg and knowing about the grain trade center of the west, Cora finally became a regular reporter and the commercial and agricultural editor of the Manitoba Free Press. J. W. Dafoe was the editor of the paper helped Cora become a famous for her accurate analysis of crop yields, and other livestock.

Cora Hind then formed the Political Equality League with Lillian Beynon Thomas and Nellie McClung in 1912. Their campaign for women’s voting rights later were granted in 1916. After all her successful movements in life she received many honors from The Western Canada Livestock Union, Wool Grower's of Manitoba, and Canadian Society of Technical Agriculturists. The University of Manitoba also presented her with an honorary LLD degree in 1935. Cora died in 1942 and the United Grain Growers created the Cora Hind Fellowship for research in agriculture, and the Free Press created the Cora Hind Scholarship in home economics.

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