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JESSIE CHRYSTAL MACMILLAN (1872-1937)
As the first female science graduate of The University of Edinburgh, Jessie Chrystal MacMillan's remarkable career was distinguished by a series of pioneering achievements.
After making the history books with her graduation, Jessie embarked on a career in law, where she once again propelled herself into the public eye. In 1908 she argued to parliament that female university graduates should be given the right to vote, making her the first woman to plead before the House of Lords. From this promising beginning, Jessie went on to carve a reputation as a prominent voice in the women's rights movement. From 1913 to 1920 she served as secretary of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance.
As the First World War raged, Jessie was instrumental in organising the International Congress of Women in the Hague, presenting the heads of neutral states with proposals to halt the war. Her intelligence and diplomacy were called for once again after the Armistice, when she was a delegate at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.
The University of Edinburgh honours Jessie with a Millennial Plaque at the King's Buildings campus.
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