Cora Etter

Cora Etter was born on October 10, 1924^[1] in Bishopville, Nova Scotia, to parents James and Cora Brown. She attended the Provincial Teachers College in Truro, followed by the Maritime College of Pharmacy.^[3] Etter and her husband operated pharmacies in Shubenacadie, Elmsdale, and Stewiacke, and were involved in a variety of other business ventures.^[3] She was among the charter members of the East Hants Historical Society, established in 1967.^[4] Etter is an inductee of the Atlantic Business Women's Hall of Fame,^[3] and received a Canadian Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.^[5]

Prior to entering provincial politics, she represented Shubenacadie on the East Hants municipal council for over 20 years,^[3] starting in 1960. She was thus nicknamed the "mayor of Shubenacadie".^[5] She was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Hants East in 1984, defeating incumbent Liberal MLA Jack Hawkins.^[3] At the time, Etter was one of only three women in the Nova Scotia Legislature,^[5] alongside cabinet minister Maxine Cochran and the New Democratic Party's leader Alexa McDonough. In the 1988 election, Etter lost her seat to Hawkins in a rematch.^[5]

Etter died on August 19, 2020 at the age of 95.^[3]