Kate Sheppard

Kate Sheppard (* 1848 or March 10, 1847 in Liverpool, England; † July 13, 1934 in Christchurch, New Zealand) was a social reformer, suffragette and the first president of the National Council of Women in New Zealand.

Life

Catherine Wilson Malcolm was born as the second daughter of the Scottish family of Andrew Wilson Malcolm (1819-1862) and Jemima Crawford Souter ( 1822-1881 ). She had two sisters ( Marie and Isabella ) and two brothers (Robert and Frank). Catherine, who spent her early childhood in London, the Scottish Nairn and in Dublin, Ireland, changed her name to Katherine and later used only the short form Kate.

Your strictly Christian religious principles and their pronounced social setting were due to the influence of her uncle, the pastor of the Free Church of Scotland in Nairn was. Provided with a very good education, they shone with extensive knowledge in science, art and law.

After the early death of her father in 1862 the entire family emigrated to New Zealand in 1868 and settled in the spring of 1869 in Christchurch. On July 21, 1871, she married the wholesale dealer, Walter Allen Sheppard. With him she had one son, Douglas, who first saw the light of day in Christchurch on 8 October 1880. Kate Sheppard survived both her ​​husband, who died in 1915 and her son, who died in 1910 29 -year-old. In old age of 78 years, 10 years after the death of her first husband, she married again. The marriage with the already 72 -year-old William Sidney Lovell -Smith took place on August 15, 1925.

Kate Sheppard died on July 13, 1934 in her home Riccarton (now Christ Church) at the age of 87 years. My house was classified as Kate Sheppard House in 2010 by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I historic building.

Work

In the first years of their marriage, Kate committed in the Trinity Congregational Church in Christchurch, attended Bible studies and collected donations. Later, she was then secretary of the Ladies Association ( Women's Association ) and active against alcoholism in the family.

1885 came Mary Leavitt, delegated by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union ( WCTU ) from the United States, after New Zealand and founded with Kate Sheppard together the Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand. The women were clear that they can only achieve politically more when women hold the right to vote and to be elected themselves. For this purpose, the franchise Department ( suffrage Department) was established in 1887 within the WCTU in New Zealand founded, whose leader Kate Sheppard was. From now on, she led the campaign to introduce the unrestricted right to vote for women in New Zealand.

Between 1888 and 1893 she organized five parliamentary petitions. In the fifth campaign in 1893 they got together 31 872 signatures of fellow activists, which corresponded to one-third of all New Zealand women over the age of 21. This pressure fluid helped finally to the fact that the male parliamentarians on September 19, 1893 changed the electoral law (The Electoral Act ) accordingly. This was New Zealand, apart from the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific, the first country in the world ( the colonies included), in which women the right to vote was granted. This success was also reflected in the following turnout. Approximately 85 % of all eligible women over 21 years who registered for election and 65 % of them took their true -won right and left in 1893 for election.

1894 Kate Sheppard traveled to England in order to strengthen their commitment speeches and their experiences in the struggle for women's suffrage, the English women's movement. In 1895 she participated in the World Conference of the WCTU in London as a delegate of New Zealand. Their speeches there were general attention. By the International Council of Women in London, she was then asked to set up a National Council of Women ( Women's Parliament ) in New Zealand.

In New Zealand back, they found that preparations were already underway for this establishment. At the inaugural conference in April 1896 Kate Sheppard was elected the first female president of the National Council of Women, a feature that she filled for three years.

The journal was founded in 1895 by the WCTU The White Ribbon has long been the only newspaper created exclusively by women of New Zealand. Under the very active participation by Kate Sheppard, the Journal was the mouthpiece of the two organizations, the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the National Council of Women.

Kate Sheppard's most active political time as a social reformer was the 1887-1902. In April 1903 she appeared on the WCTU conference in Dunedin for health reasons from their positions back. At the request of her husband, both in July 1903 went back to England. In London, her health had improved somewhat, she appeared in public again and committed for the rights of women. In September 1904 she still went back to New Zealand and should run for the WCTU again due to staff shortages. She refused and retired now 59 -year-old due to their deteriorating health from public political life back.

1990 was decided by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to renew all banknotes. Since then, Kate Sheppard sheet without comment the front of the New Zealand 10 dollar banknote.