Edna Rankin McKinnon

Edna Bertha Rankin McKinnon (October 21, 1893 – April 5, 1978) was an American social activist for birth control. She was the executive director of the Chicago Planned Parenthood chapter.

Edna Rankin McKinnon
Born(1893-10-21)October 21, 1893
Missoula, Montana
DiedApril 5, 1978(1978-04-05) (aged 84)
Carmel, California
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin
Wellesley College
University of Montana School of Law
Spouse
John W. McKinnon
​
​
(m. 1919⁠–⁠1930)​
Children2
RelativesJeannette Rankin (sister)
Wellington D. Rankin (brother)

Early life

Rankin McKinnon was the youngest child born to her parents Olive and John Rankin. Her eldest sister, Jeannette Rankin, would become the first woman elected to the United States Congress.[1]

Education

Rankin McKinnon was elected President of the Suffragette League in 1915.[2] She earned her law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 1919.[3] She subsequently became the first Montana-born woman to pass the bar exam in Montana.[4] After earning her degree, she married John W. McKinnon without a proper education on birth control. With McKinnon, they had two children before eventually divorcing.[1] While married, she miscarried and became sterile.[5] After her divorce, she attended a lecture on birth control and reproduction given by Mordecai Ezekiel.[6]

Her sister helped her earn a position with the Resettlement Administration.[7] After meeting Margaret Sanger, she was encouraged to become a field worker in Montana to inform women about birth control.[1] From 1937 until 1946, she travelled across the United States to spread the word of birth control as a member of the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau.[8] Rankin McKinnon soon resigned from the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau due to a dislike for new management.[9] She later teamed up with Clarence Gamble and the Pathfinder International Fund.[7] However, due to her brother Wellington's disapproval, she was unable to convince Montana to sell birth control.[1] Gamble offered McKinnon $50 to set up a birth control clinic, which she successfully started, and formed a Planned Parenthood branch in Bali.[6]

She was elected executive director of the Chicago Planned Parenthood chapter in 1947.[10] Under her leadership, she oversaw 10 Planned Parenthood clinics across Chicago.[11] She also earned an honorary degree from the University of Montana in 1974.[12] During that year, Wilma Dykeman published a biography on Rankin McKinnon titled "Too Many People, Too Little Love: Edna Rankin McKinnon: Pioneer for Birth Control."[13]

Rankin McKinnon died on April 5, 1978.[14]

References
  1. Green, Dan V. (2002). 'Grim realities of involuntary motherhood' Montana women and the birth control movement 1900-1940 (Master thesis). The University of Montana, Missoula. pp. 111–115. S2CID 77557952.
  2. "Suffragette League Elects Its Officers". Madison Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin. May 21, 1915. p. 8.
  3. "Another Lady from Montana". Lima Daily News. Ohio. April 27, 1918. p. 7.
  4. "Biography of Crusader Captures Her Zeal". Lima Daily News. Ohio. April 14, 1974. p. 37.
  5. "At 80 years, Edna McKinnon Still Promoting Cause". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Montana. April 21, 1974. p. 79.
  6. Flander, Judy (May 28, 2017). ""Thank God for the Pill," says Edna McKinnon, 81, retired Margaret Sanger disciple". judyflander.org. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  7. Branin, Jeannette (April 23, 1974). "Women with few ambitions led brith control fight". Colorado Springs Gazette. Colorado. p. 29.
  8. Capace, Nancy (January 1, 2000). Encyclopedia of Montana. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-403-09604-6. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  9. R. McCann, Carole (1999). Birth Control Politics in the United States, 1916-1945. Cornell University Press. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-8014-8612-8. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  10. "Mrs. Edna Rankin McKinnon Addresses Board". Chicago Star Publications. Chicago. June 20, 1947. p. 16.
  11. Roberta (February 3, 1949). "Planned Parenthood Tea Set for Thursday Next in Village". Oak Park Oak Leaves. Illinois. p. 34.
  12. "U of M to confer Honorary Degrees". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Montana. April 14, 1974. p. 15.
  13. "Tangents". Circleville Herald. Ohio. March 22, 1974. p. 25.
  14. "Edna Rankin '18". mtwomenlawyers.org. 6 August 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
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