Marie-Louise Lacoste

Marie-Louise Globensky, Lady Lacoste (2 February 1849 – 11 December 1919), was a French-speaking Canadian philanthropist and diarist from the province of Quebec. She served as patroness for schools, orphans' homes, and several hospitals, including Sainte Justine (founded by her daughter Justine Lacoste-Beaubien), Hôpital Notre-Dame, and the Youville Foundling Hospital. Globensky was president of many benevolent societies, such as Château Ramezay and the Asile de la Providence. Appointed by her daughter Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie, she served as vice-president of the Montreal Council of Women and supported women's suffrage, as long as social order was maintained. She also joined the National Federation of Saint John the Baptist, served on its board, and helped develop programs designed to help working women. A prolific diarist, her journals have contributed to the knowledge of how 19th-century middle-class women dealt with the social structures of their times.