Margaret Crang
Margaret Crang | |
|---|---|
| Edmonton City Councilor | |
| In office 1933–1937 | |
| Alderman on Edmonton City Council | |
| In office 1933–1935 | |
| In office 1935–1937 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1910 Strathcona, Alberta |
| Died | January 5, 1992 (aged 81–82) Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Alberta |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Journalist, and Political Activist |
Margaret Tryphena Frances Crang (1910 – January 5 or 6, 1992) was a lawyer, teacher, journalist, and political activist. She served as Edmonton city councillor, 1933-1937 and twice ran for provincial office as a leftist candidate.
Crang's election at the age of 23 in late 1933 makes her the youngest ever to be elected to Edmonton city council. In 1935, she became the first woman to be re-elected onto council and was also appointed deputy mayor under Mayor Joe Clarke. She served two terms on council from 1933 to 1937 under the banner of the Labour Party. During her time in office, Crang advocated for women's rights, labour rights, and against fascism.
Controversy arose in 1936, after Crang attended the World Peace Conference in Brussels as a representative of Alberta's League Against War and Fascism. Crang among others secretly traveled to Spain, which was undergoing the Spanish Civil War. At the front lines near Madrid, Crang "went up to the sandbag barricade and, borrowing a rifle, fired two shots for the government side" (Edmonton Journal).
As well, her candidacy in a 1936 Edmonton by-election in opposition to an official CCF candidate caused her to be banned from the CCF party and damaged her political fortunes. She was not elected after that.