then went to the Regina Normal School where she obtained a teaching certificate. She taught English and History in Strasbourg, Saskatchewan and Brandon, Manitoba. In 1923, she returned to university and received her M.A. After that she taught history at Havergal College in Toronto. Davidson wrote children's books and for a time worked for textbook publisher J.M. Dent and Sons as a salesperson, visiting school boards across the country. She was the first female publishing sales representative in Canada. Leaving J.M. Dent in 1930, Davidson spent a year attempting to survive as a writer. During this time she wrote articles for The Globe and Mail and Chatelaine magazine. In 1931 she was hired by William Perkins Bull to coordinate the publication of a 12-volume edition of Canadiana. She worked on the project for seven years. By the time it was completed she was in charge of a staff of 70 researchers. In 1940, she moved with her parents to Streetsville, Ontario. During the move she was in a motor vehicle accident that left her father seriously injured. He died four days later. Left destitute and caring for her invalid mother, she performed odd writing jobs until in April 1941, she was appointed Clerk and Treasurer of the Village of Streetsville. She was replacing someone who had gone overseas to fight in World War II. Political career Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Davidson joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1934 after meeting J.S. Woodsworth. She remarked about him, "He had a burning fire of love for people. You could warm your hands in his personality." She worked for Agnes MacPhail and Arthur Williams on their election campaigns in the 1930s. She ran for the CCF in the 1953 federal election in the riding of York East coming third behind Robert McGregor. She also ran provincially in the 1955 Ontario election against Hollis Beckett, again with a poor showing. In 1971 she recalled this period of involvement with the CCF. She said, "I'm not a partisan politician at all ... I ran for the CCF 15 or 16 years ago when the CCF had fallen on very stony places. I don't know why I ran. I had no thought of winning." She became concerned with the direction of the party, especially after the disastrous results of the 1951 provincial election. She felt that the party was moving away from grassroots volunteers who discussed