This study of the public life of Majorie Cooper, Saskatchewans third female MLA, adds to the understanding of Canadian womens history from the 1920s through the 1960s.The thesis explores the experience of middle class women in volunteer organizations in the 1930s and 1940s and on government boards in the post-1945 era. Work in these organizations gave Canadian women an opportunity to improve their communities, while simultaneously gaining skills which allowed them to function effectively in the wider public sphere. Coopers work with volunteer organizations and government boards demonstrated that women could work capably in the public sphere without losing their ability to be lady-like. Participation in these groups produced real opportunities for Cooper by creating a positive public profile and helping her to develop the skills necessary to pursue a career in politics.The wider experiences of women in the CCF and Saskatchewan politics in the 1950s and 1960s are further revealed in this study. Marjorie Coopers successful political career established that voters would support a female candidate. It also demonstrated that women could be effective and well-respected politicians. In this regard Cooper was more successful than the two women who came before her in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly in establishing a place for women.Cooper was able to harmonize gracefully the demands of family life with the challenges of a career in public life. Cooper provides an example of the respectable feminism which gave many women the opportunity to serve in public office. While hesitating to define herself as a real feminist, her feminist values are apparent in the way she lived, the way she expressed her social activism and in her politics.