Lillian Beynon Thomas
| Lillian Beynon Thomas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
26 May 1884 Streetsville, Ontario |
| Died | 2 September 1961 (aged 77) Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist |
Lillian Beynon Thomas (26 May 1884 – 2 September 1961) was a Canadian journalist and feminist.
Lillian Beynon was born on 26 May 1884 in Streetsville, Ontario. Her parents were James Barnes and Rebecca Beynon, and her younger sister was Francis Marion Beynon. At the age of five she suffered an accident that left her lame for life. In 1889 the Beynon family moved to Hartney, Manitoba. She studied at Portage Collegiate, then taught for a period at Chain Lakes School. She then studied at Wesley College and graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1905.
Lillian Beynon was a schoolteacher in Morden, then in 1906 joined the Manitoba Free Press. She was appointed an assistant editor of the Weekly Free Press. As editor of the Women's page she wrote the column Home Loving Hearts under the pen name of "Lillian Laurie". In the column she told of stories of women who had been abused or abandoned, and lobbied for new laws to protect the rights of women. She also pushed for prohibition of liquor, which she saw as a major cause of problems. From 1907–08 she was secretary of the Winnipeg branch of the Canadian Women’s Press Club. In 1910 she became a member of the Executive of the Women’s University Club. That year she organized Women’s Institutes in association with the University of Saskatchewan. Lillian married A. Vernon Thomas in 1911, and changed her name to Lillian Thomas.
Members of the Winnipeg branch of the Canadian Women's Press Club formed the nucleus of the Manitoba Political Equality League, which campaigned for women's suffrage, including Francis Marion Beynon, Lillian Beynon Thomas, Nellie McClung and Ella Cora Hind. Lynn and Winona Flett also joined, as did men such as George Fisher Chipman and Fred Dixon. Lillian Beynon Thomas was the first president, but Dr. Mary E. Crawford soon took over the leadership.
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