Edna Rankin McKinnon
Edna Rankin McKinnon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 21, 1893 |
| Died | April 5, 1978 (aged 84) Carmel, California |
| Education | University of Wisconsin Wellesley College University of Montana School of Law |
| Spouse |
John W. McKinnon
(m. 1919–1930) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Jeannette Rankin (sister) Wellington D. Rankin (brother) |
Edna Bertha Rankin McKinnon (October 21, 1893 – April 5, 1978) was an American social activist for birth control. She was the executive director of the Chicago Planned Parenthood chapter.
Early life
[edit]Rankin McKinnon was the youngest child born to her parents Olive and John Rankin. Her eldest sister, Jeannette Rankin, would become the first woman elected to the United States Congress.[1]
Education
[edit]Rankin McKinnon was elected President of the Suffragette League in 1915.[2] She earned her law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 1919.[3] She subsequently became the first Montana-born woman to pass the bar exam in Montana.[4] After earning her degree, she married John W. McKinnon without a proper education on birth control. With McKinnon, they had two children before eventually divorcing.[1] While married, she miscarried and became sterile.[5] After her divorce, she attended a lecture on birth control and reproduction given by Mordecai Ezekiel.[6]
Her sister helped her earn a position with the Resettlement Administration.[7] After meeting Margaret Sanger, she was encouraged to become a field worker in Montana to inform women about birth control.[1] From 1937 until 1946, she travelled across the United States to spread the word of birth control as a member of the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau.[8] Rankin McKinnon soon resigned from the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau due to a dislike for new management.[9] She later teamed up with Clarence Gamble and the Pathfinder International Fund.[7] However, due to her brother Wellington's disapproval, she was unable to convince Montana to sell birth control.[1] Gamble offered McKinnon $50 to set up a birth control clinic, which she successfully started, and formed a Planned Parenthood branch in Bali.[6]
She was elected executive director of the Chicago Planned Parenthood chapter in 1947.[10] Under her leadership, she oversaw 10 Planned Parenthood clinics across Chicago.[11] She also earned an honorary degree from the University of Montana in 1974.[12] During that year, Wilma Dykeman published a biography on Rankin McKinnon titled "Too Many People, Too Little Love: Edna Rankin McKinnon: Pioneer for Birth Control."[13]
Rankin McKinnon died on April 5, 1978.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Green, Dan V. (2002). 'Grim realities of involuntary motherhood' Montana women and the birth control movement 1900-1940 (Master thesis). The University of Montana, Missoula. pp. 111–115. S2CID 77557952.
- ^ "Suffragette League Elects Its Officers". Madison Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin. May 21, 1915. p. 8.
- ^ "Another Lady from Montana". Lima Daily News. Ohio. April 27, 1918. p. 7.
- ^ "Biography of Crusader Captures Her Zeal". Lima Daily News. Ohio. April 14, 1974. p. 37.
- ^ "At 80 years, Edna McKinnon Still Promoting Cause". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Montana. April 21, 1974. p. 79.
- ^ a b Flander, Judy (May 28, 2017). ""Thank God for the Pill," says Edna McKinnon, 81, retired Margaret Sanger disciple". judyflander.org. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ a b Branin, Jeannette (April 23, 1974). "Women with few ambitions led brith control fight". Colorado Springs Gazette. Colorado. p. 29.
- ^ Capace, Nancy (January 1, 2000). Encyclopedia of Montana. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-403-09604-6. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ R. McCann, Carole (1999). Birth Control Politics in the United States, 1916-1945. Cornell University Press. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-8014-8612-8. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ "Mrs. Edna Rankin McKinnon Addresses Board". Chicago Star Publications. Chicago. June 20, 1947. p. 16.
- ^ Roberta (February 3, 1949). "Planned Parenthood Tea Set for Thursday Next in Village". Oak Park Oak Leaves. Illinois. p. 34.
- ^ "U of M to confer Honorary Degrees". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Montana. April 14, 1974. p. 15.
- ^ "Tangents". Circleville Herald. Ohio. March 22, 1974. p. 25.
- ^ "Edna Rankin '18". mtwomenlawyers.org. 6 August 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
External links
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