Clara Brett Martin, who lived from January 25, 1874, to October 30, 1923, was a Canadian lawyer who became the first female lawyer in the British Empire when she was called to the Ontario bar in 1897. Born in Toronto, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics at Trinity College in 1893 before petitioning the Law Society of Upper Canada for admission as a solicitor, a request initially rejected in 1891; the Ontario legislature responded with legislation passed in 1892 permitting women to become solicitors, and further legislation later allowed her admission as a barrister. She graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar in 1897, and in 1899 she became the first Canadian woman to earn a Bachelor of Laws degree, from the University of Toronto. Beyond her legal career she served as a trustee on the Toronto Board of Education from 1901 to 1911 and ran unsuccessfully for Toronto City Council in 1920.
Facts
Nationality / Jurisdiction Place of Death Classification
Field of Law Role
Role (category) FAQs
Why did Clara Brett Martin have to wait to be admitted to the Ontario bar?
The Law Society read its statute as admitting only men until legislation in 1892 changed that.
The Law Society of Upper Canada rejected her 1891 petition to become a student member. Its special committee read the statute that incorporated the Society as permitting only men to be admitted to the practice of law. A bill sponsored by W. D. Balfour provided that the word person in that statute should include females as well as males, and with the support of Premier Oliver Mowat, legislation permitting the admission of women as solicitors passed on 13 April 1892. She was called to the Ontario bar in 1897 after the Law Society framed special regulations.
Why was a government building named for Clara Brett Martin and then renamed?
The honour was revoked after an anti-Semitic letter she wrote in 1915 came to light.
In 1989 the Ontario provincial government announced that the building housing the Ministry of the Attorney General would be named after her. It revoked the honour after an anti-Semitic letter she wrote in 1915 came to light. Her place as the first female lawyer in the British Empire is a separate matter from that later reassessment.
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Source Clara Brett Martin (Wikipedia)
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Source Clara Brett Martin (Wikipedia)tier 2
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1. Clara Brett Martin (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction, gender
She opened the way for women to become lawyers in Canada by being the first female lawyer in the British Empire in 1897.
Introduction
Clara Brett Martin (25 January 1874 - 30 October 1923) was a Canadian lawyer. She opened the way for women to become lawyers in Canada by being the first female lawyer in the British Empire in 1897.
Introduction
Clara Brett Martin (25 January 1874 - 30 October 1923) was a Canadian lawyer.
Entity description, field of law
In 1897 she graduated B.C.L. from Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto. "After special regulations had been framed by the Law Society, ... she was called to the bar of Ontario, and entered into partnership with Messrs. In 1899 she was admitted to the degree of LL.B. by Toronto University, being the first lady in Canada to receive that honour." Martin was elected a school trustee on the Toronto Board of Education in 1901 and served on the body for a decade as the only woman on the school board.
In Legal System: Law of Canada, Wikipedia lead sentence
was a Canadian lawyer
View the Source 2. Wikidata: Clara Brett Martin
Wikidata Q5125950, P569 date of birth claim (year)
P569 (date of birth): 1874
Wikidata Q5125950, P569 date of birth claim (full date)
P569 (date of birth): 1874-01-25
Wikidata Q5125950, P570 date of death claim (year)
P570 (date of death): 1923
Wikidata Q5125950, P570 date of death claim (full date)
P570 (date of death): 1923-10-30
Wikidata Q5125950, P19 place of birth claim
P19 (place of birth): Toronto
Wikidata Q5125950, P20 place of death claim
P20 (place of death): Toronto
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