Mary John Batten (née Fodchuk; August 30, 1921 – October 9, 2015) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and political figure in Saskatchewan. She represented Humboldt from 1956 to 1964 in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a Liberal.[1] She was the first woman of Ukrainian origin to be elected to a Canadian provincial parliament.[2]

Mary John Batten
Assembly Member
for Humboldt
In office
1956–1964
Preceded byJoseph William Burton
Succeeded byMathieu Breker
Personal details
Born
Mary John Fodchuk

August 30, 1921
Sifton, Manitoba
DiedOctober 9, 2015(2015-10-09) (aged 94)
Political partySaskatchewan Liberal Party

She was born Mary John Fodchuk in 1921 in Sifton, Manitoba[1] and educated in Calder, Saskatchewan, Ituna and Regina and at the University of Saskatchewan. She articled with John Diefenbaker and was called to the Saskatchewan bar in 1945, later moving to Humboldt.[1] She married M. Charles R. Batten, also a lawyer.[3] After leaving politics in 1964, she was named to the Saskatchewan District Court. In 1983, she was named Chief Justice for the Court of Queen's Bench, becoming the first female chief justice for Saskatchewan. Batten retired from the bench in 1990.[1] Batten died in October 2015 at the age of 94.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Batten, Mary John (1921–)". Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  2. ^ "Combined Virtues - Saskatchewan's Ukrainian Legacy". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  3. ^ "Judge Mary Batten". Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon. June 2, 1964. p. 11. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  4. ^ http://docs.legassembly.sk.ca/legdocs/Legislative%20Assembly/Hansard/27L4S/151123Debates.pdf [bare URL PDF]