The labours of this powerful free-thinker kept the woman suffrage movement alive at a time when it was hardly respectable. Born in Canada in 1831, Emily Stowe first became a school teacher. After her marriage to John Stowe, she graduated from the New York College of Medicine for Women in 1867. On her return to Canada, however, she was to face strong opposition from the male dominated medical profession. It was not until 1880 that she was finally admitted as a member to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Her efforts established a precedent as she was the second woman authorized to practice medicine in Canada. Frustrated by her difficulties in finding acceptance in a male-oriented world, she established the Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association of which she became president. After 1890, this association, together with the W.C.T.U., was the foremost champion of the suffrage cause.
