Helen Alice Kinnear, (May 6, 1894 – April 25, 1970) was a Canadian lawyer and judge. She was the first woman in the British Commonwealth to be made a King's Counsel, the first female lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first woman appointed as a judge by the Government of Canada. Her father, Louis Kinnear, was well-known lawyer who practiced in Port Colborne and Welland County. Afterward she attended Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario bar, to become a lawyer, in 1920.
Politics
Kinnear was an active member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Legacy
In 1965, Kinnear was awarded a medallion from the John Howard Society of Ontario for "Distinguished Humanitarian Service". The medallion was minted by INCO in her home town of Port Colborne.
In 1993 Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp to honour Kinnear's achievements.