May Robinson
{{Short description|Canadian politician (1886–1973)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = May Robinson
| image =
| image_upright =
| office1 = Alderman on the Toronto City Council
| term_start1 = 1951
| term_end1 = 1964
| constituency1=Ward 6
| birth_name = Ella May Crabbe
| birth_date = {{birth year|1886}}
| birth_place = near Norwich, Ontario, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1973|4|27|1886}}
| death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| party =
| spouse = {{marriage|George Robinson|1911|1956|end=d.}}
| children=3
}}
Ella May Robinson ({{nee}} Crabbe; 1886 – April 27, 1973) was a Canadian politician and suffragist who was active in municipal politics of Toronto, Ontario. She was one of the first women to serve on the Toronto City Council, serving from 1951 to 1964, and the first woman to serve on the Metro Toronto Council upon its establishment in 1953.{{cite news|title=May Robinson first woman to serve on Metro Council|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/173416003/|date=May 1, 1973|publisher=Toronto Star|page=80|access-date=May 29, 2025}}
Early life and career
Ella May Crabbe was born in 1886 near Norwich, Ontario, into a farming family. The daughter of Charles Crabbe, she was one of seven children, and of Irish, Pennsylvania Dutch and French ancestry.{{cite web|title=From Farm to Council Alderman May Robinson Given 'Lamp of Learning'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star/173417432/|last=Nichol|first=James Y.|newspaper=Toronto Daily Star|page=16|access-date=May 29, 2025}} She came to Toronto in 1910 and served as secretary of the Toronto Women's Suffrage Association in 1916. During this time, she met Emmeline Pankhurst during a visit to Toronto, and was also an advocate for women to serve as church elders.
Municipal politics
Robinson was elected as a Toronto Public School Board trustee in 1938, where she served for 11 years. She was initially elected to the Toronto City Council in December 1951, representing Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale). During her time as an alderman, she was an advocate for seniors' housing. Robinson retired at the 1964 Toronto municipal election.
Personal life and death
She was married to George Edward Robinson, an insurance executive. He died in 1956.{{cite news|title=Deaths|date=January 16, 1956|page=32|newspaper=Toronto Daily Star}} They had three children, two sons and a daughter. She was a member and elder of the St. Clair Avenue United Church. In addition to her church, she was active in local Toronto organizations such as the Local Council for Women, Federation for Community Service, Toronto Urban Trustees' Association and Young Women's Christian Association.
May Robinson died in Toronto on April 27, 1973, from a heart ailment.{{cite news|title=Births, Deaths, Memorials|date=May 1, 1973|page=71|newspaper=Toronto Star}} Upon her death, she was described as a friendly and outspoken figure during her time on council, and one of the "best known persons in Toronto public life".