# Frances Fish

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{{Short description|Canadian politician (1888–1975)}}
'''Frances Lilian Fish''' [QC](/source/Queen's_Counsel) (December 18, 1888 &ndash; October 27, 1975),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/Hamilton/DMB/SearchResults.aspx?culture=en-CA&action=0&page=312|accessdate=September 10, 2023|title=Fish, Frances Lillian|work=Dictionary of Miramichi Biography}}</ref> the daughter of [Charles Elijah Fish](/source/Charles_Elijah_Fish), was the first female law school graduate and lawyer in [Nova Scotia](/source/Nova_Scotia), the first woman to run for office in the [New Brunswick](/source/New_Brunswick) legislature, and a prominent lawyer in [Newcastle, New Brunswick](/source/Newcastle%2C_New_Brunswick).

Fish, a B.A. graduate of [University of New Brunswick](/source/University_of_New_Brunswick) (1910), obtained an M.A. in classics from [University of Chicago](/source/University_of_Chicago) (about 1913), before completing her law degree at [Dalhousie University](/source/Dalhousie_University) in 1918. On September 10, 1918 she was the first woman called to the bar in Nova Scotia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cahill |first1=Barry |title="Everybody Called Her Frank": The Odyssey of an Early Woman Lawyer in New Brunswick|journal= Journal of New Brunswick Studies|issue=2  |date=2011 |volume=2 |url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JNBS/article/view/18735 |language=en|s2cid=191112832}}</ref> At the time, women were not considered to be "persons" under the law. (see [Persons Case](/source/Persons_Case))

Although she lived in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Toronto, she returned to Newcastle following her father's death in 1933. She was among the first six female lawyers in the province. She ran as the [Reconstruction Party](/source/Reconstruction_Party) candidate for the [Northumberland](/source/Miramichi_(electoral_district)) riding in the 1935 federal election, but was defeated by [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Canada) [John Patrick Barry](/source/John_Patrick_Barry). She also ran as an unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate in the 1935 New Brunswick provincial election.

In 1947 she was named New Brunswick's first female deputy county magistrate, and was appointed a [QC](/source/Queen's_Counsel) in 1972. The Frances Fish Women Lawyers Achievement Award, presented biennially by the Nova Scotia Association of Women and the Law, commemorates her achievements.<ref> Martins, D. (2009) [http://miramichileader.canadaeast.com/rss/article/529707 Newcastle lawyer a pioneer of women's rights.]{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Miramichi Leader 3 (36): A1</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courts.ns.ca/news/roscoe_award_09_05.htm |title=JUSTICE ELIZABETH A. ROSCOE RECEIVES AWARD |access-date=2012-05-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903234701/https://www.courts.ns.ca/news/roscoe_award_09_05.htm |archive-date=3 Sep 2006 }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish, Frances}}
Category:Lawyers in Nova Scotia
Category:Women in New Brunswick politics
Category:Canadian King's Counsel
Category:Candidates in the 1935 Canadian federal election

{{NewBrunswick-politician-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frances Fish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Fish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Fish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.