1878–1981
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Section 32 Lot 501
Born on a farm near Hensall, Ont., Jennie Smillie began her career as a teacher, earning just $300 a year. Determined to pursue medicine, she saved enough to enroll at the Ontario Medical College for Women in Toronto. When the college closed, she continued her studies at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1909 – a remarkable achievement at a time when few women entered the profession.
Facing barriers at home, Smillie interned in Philadelphia, as Toronto hospitals refused to grant women operating privileges. Undeterred, she returned to Toronto and, in 1911, joined forces with other female doctors to open the city’s first Women’s College Hospital in a rented house on Seaton Street. There, Smillie made history as Canada’s first woman surgeon, performing groundbreaking procedures and advocating for women in medicine.
Her dedication spanned decades, and only after retiring did she marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Robertson, at age 70. Jennie Smillie Robertson passed away on February 26, 1981, leaving a legacy of courage and progress. Her memorial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery bears witness to a visionary who broke barriers and transformed healthcare for generations of Canadian women.
Sources:
• The Canadian Encyclopedia – Jennie Smillie
• Wikipedia – Jennie Smillie Robertson
• Women’s College Hospital – History
• Mount Pleasant Group – Jennie Smillie Robertson
Photo: Lorne Elder collection, public domain
