Mary Dreaver
Mary Manson Dreaver MBE (née Bain, 31 March 1887 – 19 July 1961) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Biography
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1941–1943 | 26th | Waitemata | Labour | |
She was born in Dunedin, the oldest of 13 children of Alexander Manson Bain and Hanna Kiely. She was a minister and president of the National Spiritualist Church of New Zealand, a journalist as Maorilander in the New Zealand Woman's Weekly, and a broadcaster on Radio 1ZB as Aunt Maisy.[1]
Dreaver sought selection by the Labour Party for the 1930 by-election in the Parnell electorate, but was beaten by Thomas Bloodworth.[2][3] She won the Waitemata electorate in 1941 when a by-election was held after the death of the previous Labour Party MP, Jack Lyon.[4] She was defeated in the next (1943) general election, by the National Party candidate, Henry Thorne Morton.[5]
She was the third woman to be elected to Parliament after Elizabeth McCombs and Catherine Stewart. She also was on several Auckland local bodies.[1]
She and Mary Patricia Anderson were the first two women appointed to the Legislative Council. They were appointed by the First Labour Government in 1946 (after a law change in 1941 to make women eligible); and they served to 1950 when the Legislative Council was abolished.[6]
In the 1946 New Year Honours, Dreaver was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services in connection with recruiting for the Women's Land Army.[7]
She died in Auckland on 19 July 1961. She was survived by her husband (by only three months), three daughters and two sons.[1]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Laracy, Hugh. "Dreaver, Mary Manson - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ↑ "Parnell By-Election" CIX (75). The Evening Post. 29 March 1930. p. 11. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ↑ "Labour Candidate" CIX (79). The Evening Post. 3 April 1930. p. 10. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 193, 213.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 193, 221.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 152.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37410. p. 161. 1 January 1946. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
References
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 280. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack Lyon |
Member of Parliament for Waitemata 1941–1943 |
Succeeded by Henry Thorne Morton |