Cameron, Agnes Deans (1863–1912)

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Cameron, Agnes Deans (1863–1912)

Canadian traveler, educator, and feminist. Born Agnes Deans Cameron, 1863, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; died May 13, 1912, and had the largest funeral cortège the city of Victoria had witnessed to date; dau. of Jessie Anderson (schoolteacher from Scotland) and Duncan Cameron (miner and contractor); never married; no children.

Began teaching at Angela College, Victoria (1879); became the 1st high-school teacher in British Columbia (1890) and was appointed the 1st woman principal in the province (1894); moved to Chicago and took up journalism (1906); began 10,000 mile trip from Chicago up the Mackenzie River to the Arctic Circle (1908), accompanied by her niece Jessie Cameron Brown; wrote an account of the journey, The New North (1909), which included photographs; also wrote articles and lectured on experiences; was a supporter of equal rights, immigration, and school reform.

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