ABOUT VIOLET PAULINE KING HENRY
Canadian lawyer famous for becoming Canada's first black female lawyer, the first black person to graduate law in Alberta and pass the Alberta Bar exam. She began practicing criminal law in Calgary, Canada, and spent the latter half of her career working in the United States, notably the first woman to hold a senior management position at the national YMCA. She passed away from cancer at age 52.
Her father had relocated his family from the United States to Canada during the Great Migration, and she was born in Calgary. She attended Crescent Heights High School and went to college at the University of Alberta. She was one of only 3 women pursuing a law degree out of that year's class of 142 students.
She taught piano to help pay for her college education. Throughout her education, she was often involved in student government organizations and associations, holding roles such as president and representative. In 2021, the Federal Building Plaza in Alberta was officially named the "Violet King Henry Plaza".
She married Godfrey C. Henry in 1965 and the following year the couple had a daughter named Jo-Anne.
She and Peter Lougheed were 2 of only 4 students to receive an Executive A gold ring from their university for their contributions as students.
