Meet the Queen of the Hurricanes
Elsie MacGill became a household name for her contributions to a World War II fighter plane, but she was also a leader in the women's suffrage movement.
A Proclivity for Tinkering
Elsie MacGill may not be a household name here in the United States, but in Canada, she’s a local hero and an inspiration. Her contributions to the Canadian aeronautical industry cannot be overstated. And her efforts in support of World War II earned her a royal nickname.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Elsie received rigorous homeschooling. It was mirrored after the public school her old step-brothers attended. Her father was a prominent attorney in Vancouver and her mother was British Columbia’s first woman judge.
Her intensive home schooling set Elsie apart from her peers. Aside from garnering an aptitude for fixing things, she was admitted into the University of British Columbia - at age 16.
The First of Her Many Firsts
She moved to Toronto and pursued a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Toronto. Elsie chose to pursue engineering after watching her mother lead women's suffrage events.
During her summers in Toronto, Elsie worked in machine shops repairing electrical motors. She dovetailed her hands-on experience with her schooling. In 1927, Elsie graduated. She was the first Canadian woman to earn a degree in electrical engineering. Landing a job in Pontiac, Michigan, her interest in aeronautics exploded.
She enrolled in aeronautic engineering classes at the University of Michigan. Two years later she was the first woman in North America to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering.
Going Pro
Fifteen years into her career, Elsie was appointed to the chief aeronautical engineer role at Canadian Car and Foundry (CanCar). She was the first woman in the world to hold such a position. While there, she designed and tested the Maple Leaf Trainer II - a new training aircraft.
Elsie’s role changed dramatically when her company was selected to build fighters Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The employee count at CanCar expanded from 500 to 4,500 workers - half of them women.
Elsie oversaw production operations. She also led teams responsible for operationalizing the plane in winter. She introduced de-icing controls and skis to support snow landings.
Her success with the Hurricanes was immense. CanCar would produce over 1,400 during the war. In aeronautics, she became a household name. She was even featured in a True Comics biography where her nickname, “Queen of the Hurricanes” stuck.
Shifting Her Focus
Following the war, Elsie embraced her status as a role model to women everywhere. She became the first woman to chair a UN committee and presented at the Society of Women Engineers conference.
In the early 1950s after suffering a broken leg, Elsie rediscovered her mother’s papers. She felt the urge to formalize the passion and efforts of her mother. The hallmark of those passions was the women's suffrage movement.
Two years later, Elsie published a biography of her mother’s life. The experience shifted her focus. She began spending more of her time supporting the women’s rights movement.
Her contributions included serving as president of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, serving as a member of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, and seeking to have abortion removed from Canada’s Criminal Code.
Despite the accolades and awards she garnered as an engineer, it was clear Elsie’s priorities had shifted. She once said, “I have received many engineering awards, but I hope I will also be remembered as an advocate for the rights of women and children.” She would work tirelessly to fulfill that wish up until her death in 1980.
History for the Hurried:
January 3, 1959: Alaska was admitted as the 49th U.S. state with a land mass almost one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states together. It also saw action during World War II.
January 5, 1925: Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first female governor inaugurated in the U.S.