Downtown Commercial in Calgary in Calgary Metropolitan Region, Alberta — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

Annie Gale

1876-1970

— An Alberta Champion —

Annie Gale Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2022

1. Annie Gale Marker

Inscription.
Annie Gale was a British immigrant to Canada who dove straight into community politics to improve the standard of living in her new home. In a matter of only ten years in Calgary, she accomplished many important social and political changes.

Surprised and sometimes shocked by the inferior quality of life in her new community, Gale was moved to act. Disgusted by the expensive, low quality produce available, she helped establish a market for all the local farm fresh vegetables, as well as a club to encourage community gardens.

Gale's most famous accomplishment was in 1917, when she became the first woman in municipal politics anywhere in the British Empire. She served three terms as an alderman on the Calgary City Council. Staying true to the issues that galvanized her, Annie created city-owned hospitals and reformed city prison conditions among other achievements, and was later elected a Public School Trustee. Gale moved to Vancouver in 1925, but even after such a short time in Calgary, her accomplishments are held in high esteem.

Erected by Alberta Champions Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 51°

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2.816′ N, 114° 4.346′ W. Marker is in Calgary, Alberta, in Calgary Metropolitan Region. It is in Downtown Commercial. Marker can be reached from 7 Avenue Southwest just west of 4 Street Southwest, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located between the 4 Street SW Light Rail Station and Harley Hotchkiss Gardens, on the south side of Courthouse Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 611 4 Street Southwest, Calgary AB T2P 1T1, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sir James Alexander Lougheed (here, next to this marker); Grant MacEwan (here, next to this marker); W. O. Mitchell (a few steps from this marker); Maude Riley (a few steps from this marker); Arthur Ryan Smith (a few steps from this marker); Site of Calgary's Original Court House (within shouting distance of this marker); The T. Eaton Co. Limited (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Great White Way (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Calgary.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Alberta Champions

Also see . . .
1. Annie Rolinson Gale.

Hannah (Annie was a nickname) Rolinson was born in England on Dec. 29, 1876. Early on she showed a high level of intelligence by being one of the first women to take and pass an entrance

2. Marker detail: Annie Gale
examination to the prestigious Oxford University. Despite her results however women were not yet allowed to attend the school. She married William Gale in 1901 and had two boys. It was the couple’s decision to move to Canada in 1912 to join family that would bring opportunities for Annie that she perhaps never would have had if she had stayed in her native homeland.

(Submitted on April 29, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Annie Gale, the first female alderman in Calgary and Canada.

For a self-described "very conservative woman, not particularly interested in women's suffrage," Annie Gale is paradoxically remembered as a consumer advocate, social activist, and pioneering female politician of international significance. To her biographer, Judith Lishman, Gale was “one of the finest citizens that Calgary has ever had.” As Annie's public reputation grew, it seemed inevitable that she begin to be considered for public office. She was nominated for the 1917 civic election; Annie came in sixth of the twelve aldermen elected. This made her the first woman in Canada, and possibly in the British Empire, to be elected as an alderman. Before she left city council in 1923, Annie became the first woman in Canada to serve as an acting mayor.

(Submitted on April 29, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 1, 2022

3. Annie Gale Marker

(looking north from 4 Street SW Light Rail Station • Harley Hotchkiss Gardens in background)

3. Annie Rolinson Gale.

Annie was a hard-working alderman determined to make changes, and she never shied away from controversy. As she once said, "I have always believed that the mission of women in political life was to clean up politics." She retired from the Calgary City Council in 1923 after making many notable contributions to her adopted home. Annie and her husband William moved to Vancouver in hopes that the coastal climate would be beneficial for his health.

(Submitted on April 29, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 61 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 29, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.