Margaret Robertson Watt

Margaret Rose Robertson Watt MBE
Mrs Alfred Watt, one of the founders of the Women's Institutes in Great Britain.
Born	(1868-06-04)June 4, 1868 Collingwood, Ontario
Died	(1948-11-29)November 29, 1948 Montreal, Quebec
Nationality	Canadian
Education	University of Toronto
Spouse(s)	Alfred Tennyson Watt

Margaret Robertson Watt MBE (June 4, 1868 – November 29, 1948) was a Canadian writer, editor and activist. She was a woman of great energy and drive who believed strongly in the power exerted by women working together. She is known to members of Women's Institutes in the United Kingdom for introducing the concepts and practices of the Canadian Women's Institute movement to Britain in 1914. She is remembered internationally as one of the founding members of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) in 1933.

Madge Robertson Watt was born Margaret Rose Robertson in Collingwood, Ontario, on June 4, 1868. Her father was Henry Robertson Q.C. (1840-1923), son of John and Catherine Robertson of Hamilton. Her mother Bethia (1844-1893) was the daughter of John and Margaret Climie Rose of Bradford. Both parents were Canadian-born children of Scottish emigrants.

Her forebears had all emigrated to Simcoe District (now County), Ontario, in the years following the War of 1812, when the land was opened to pioneer farming These Scottish pioneers contributed to Madge's genetic makeup, evidenced by her traits of stamina, determination, and persistence. These, combined with her ability to draw women together to develop and advance a common cause, led to her future success as an inspired organizer of Women's Institutes, following the founding of that organization by Adelaide Hoodless in 1897.

She liked "Madge" as the short name for Margaret and used it all her life. She also liked short hair and wore hers that way in spite of the fashion in her early life that dictated otherwise.

Madge graduated from the University of Toronto in 1890 as one of the first women to be granted a Master of Arts degree. She earned her living as a Canadian writer, editor, and reviewer in the years between 1890 and 1907. Writing under the name of Madge Robertson, she had many articles published by newspapers and magazines, such as the University of Toronto's The Varsity, the Ladies Pictorial Weekly (she also edited it in 1892), The Globe, some USA titles, and the British Columbia Victoria Times. Ambrose & Hall (2007) hail her as an example of a New Woman because, in her writings, she used ideas from emerging feminist thought. She also recognized that most women saw such ideas as being distant from basic family life and ties.