April 20, 1887 - Margaret Newton - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Future research scientist Margaret Newton is born.Margaret Newton was born on April 20, 1887 in Montreal, Quebec. Four of the five Newton children, including Margaret, earned a Ph.D in agriculture. Margaret, after attaining her education degree, also took an interest in agriculture and was admitted to Macdonald College, the agricultural faculty for McGill University. There, she successfully petitioned the dean of the college to allow women to use the laboratories at night, even though women students were supposed to be in their residences by 10 p.m. At Macdonald, Newton studied rust diseases suffered by wheat, which were devastating farmers at the time. In 1918, she became the first woman to obtain a degree in agriculture from Macdonald College, and she did so with awards and peer recognition. She spent six months in Saskatoon and six in Minnesota while working on her Ph.D, becoming the first Canadian woman with a doctorate in agricultural science. She worked at the Dominion Rust Research Laboratory in Winnipeg for many years before retiring in 1945. Her work saved Canadian farmers millions of bushels of wheat and millions of dollars. Newton received numerous awards for her work, as well as an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Saskatchewan. The University of Victoria honoured her by naming a student residence “Margaret Newton Hall.” Newton died in Victoria, B.C. on April 6, 1971.

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