After receiving her doctorate from the University of Toronto, Flora MacKinnon published several works in her field of philosophy.
Entry written by Karyn Huenemann
Born in St. Catharines, ON, Flora moved as a young girl to Buffalo, NY, where her father, Lachlan McKinnon (1854-1923), had opened an American branch of McKinnon Industries, his extensive automotive parts company. Flora lived there with her family until 1914, when she and her sister Cecilia (and possibly other siblings) moved with their mother back to St. Catharines. Their father maintained a residence in Buffalo until 1920, when he joined his family in St. Catharines, presumably upon retirement.
Flora earned her BA from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1907, and her PhD from the University in Toronto in 1924; sometime before receiving her doctorate, she changed the spelling of her name from McKinnon to MacKinnon. She became an associate professor of Philosophy at Wellesley College, where she died after a sudden illness in 1932. Sometime before 1930, Flora adopted a young English girl, Ann (1925-2009).
In addition to her teaching duties, Flora published
Lachlan McKinnon was born in Carlton Place, ON, in 1854. He was a hardware clerk and store owner before becoming a partner in McKinnon and Mitchell Hardware, specializing in saddle and wagon gear (1878). His business eventually became McKinnon Dash Company in Buffalo, NY, where he moved his family in 1887; the company became McKinnon Chain Company in 1909, then McKinnon Columbus in 1917. McKinnon Industries for automotives was purchased by General Motors in 1929.
Lachlan married Emma Esther Armstrong (1853-1922) on 5 February 1878, and they had six children. Having lived in Buffalo, NY, for over twenty years, Lachlan moved back to St. Catharines, ON in about 1920; his wife and daughters Flora and Cecilia had preceeded him in 1914. Emma died in St. Catharines in 1922, followed by Lachlan himself in 1923.
Emma Esther Armstrong was born in St. Catharines, ON, in 1853. She married Lachlan Ebenezer McKinnon (1854-1923) on 5 February 1878, and they had six children. The family moved to Buffalo, NY, in about 1886, just after the birth of their son James. In about 1914, Emma and at least two of her daughters, Flora and Cecilia, returned to St. Catharines; Lachlan joined them in about 1920, two years before Emma died there in 1922.
Cecilia studied art in Buffalo and abroad, and earned her BA from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She published one book of poetry:
James has two birth registrations: 28 July 1886 in Lincoln, ON; and 28 July 1888 in Buffalo, NY.
Wellelsey College, Wellesley, MA (BA, 1907)
University of Toronto (PhD, 1924)
Professor of Philosphy
Flora and Cecilia MacKinnon do not appear to be related to authors
Flora is not to be confused with another Flora Isabel MacKinnon (1884-1974) who was born in Montreal and died in California, but who achieved only a high school level of education according to US census reports.