Kate Edger

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Kate Milligan Evans née Edger (6 Jan 1857 to 6 May 1935) was the first woman in New Zealand to gain a university degree and the first woman in the British Empire to earn a BA.[1]

Kate's family emigrated from England to New Zealand in 1862. On 11 July 1877 she graduated from the University of New Zealand with a BA in Mathematics and Latin.[2] When Kate applied to the senate of the University of New Zealand for permission to sit for a university scholarship she did not state her gender and her application was successful. She was the only female in classes at Auckland College and Grammar School, which was affiliated to the University of New Zealand. ( Auckland University College was yet to be established.) She graduated in 1877 with a Bachelor of Arts (specialising in mathematics and Latin) from the University of New Zealand.

Family

Kate Edger was a daughter of the Rev. Samuel Edger, a Baptist minister who brought his family from England with the Albertland settlers to New Zealand in 1862. A university graduate himself, he supported Kate and her sister Lilian in their efforts to gain higher education.[3]

Legacy

The Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust provides financial assistance for women pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate degrees.[4] In 2004 the Kate Edger Information Commons was created at The University of Auckland.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Ministry for Culture and Heritage. "Kate Edger". Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
  2. ↑ Hughes, Beryl. "Edger, Kate Milligan". Te Ara Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
  3. ↑ http://www.auckgradwomen.org.nz/KEET/kateedger.htm
  4. ↑ Auckgradwomen.org. "The Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust". Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
  5. ↑ Auckgradwomen.org. "About Kate Edger". Retrieved 25 April 2011. 


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