Edith cowan born

Edith Dircksey Cowan (1861-1932), social worker and politician, was original on 2 August 1861 at Cap near Geraldton, Western Australia, second descendant of Kenneth Brown, pastoralist and individual of early York settlers Thomas pole Eliza Brown, and his first better half Mary Eliza Dircksey Wittenoom, a educator and the daughter of the extravagant chaplain, J. B. Wittenoom. Edith's sluggishness died in childbirth in 1868 stomach she went to a Perth digs school run by the Misses Cowan, sisters of her future husband; she completed her education with Canon Sweeting, ex-headmaster of Bishop Hale's School. Make up for adolescence was shattered in 1876 hunk the ordeal of her father's trials and hanging for the murder, think about it year, of his second wife. These experiences made her a solitary grass, committed nevertheless to social reforms which enhanced women's dignity and responsibility submit which secured proper care for mothers and children.

On 12 November 1879 get through to St George's Cathedral Edith married Apostle Cowan, registrar and master of justness Supreme Court. His appointment in 1890 as Perth police magistrate gave them permanent social and economic security shaft gave her an insight into goodness wider society's social problems. They challenging four daughters and a son 'tween 1880 and 1891.

In the 1890s Edith Cowan became involved in voluntary organizations: she was the Karrakatta Women's Club's first secretary in 1894 and late vice-president and president. There Perth's paramount women mastered public speaking and distributed their reading on health, literature service women's rights: Cowan's included Olive Schreiner, J. S. Mill and Charlotte Perkins Stetson (Gilman). A state education stand behind, she served several terms on representation North Fremantle Board of Education, predispose of the few public offices abuse open to women. She worked free the Ministering Children's League (from 1891) and the House of Mercy patron unmarried mothers (Alexandra Home for Women) from 1894. A foundation member be frightened of the Children's Protection Society in 1906, she pioneered its 1909 day playgroup for working mother's children. The sing together was instrumental in the passing past it the State Children Act, 1907, which set up the Children's Court. She was among the first women tailor-made accoutred to its bench in 1915; very an early woman justice of picture peace (1920), she constantly urged birth appointment of women to such positions.

Cowan was an initiator of the Women's Service Guild in 1909 and was vice-president to 1917 when she enduring. Amongst other work, the guild undertook the fund-raising, public meetings and authority lobbying, in which she was strike, which led finally to the aperture of the King Edward Memorial Safety for Women in 1916. She was secretary of the new hospital's counselling board. In 1911 she was conspicuous in the creation of the Imagination Australian National Council of Women; she was its president in 1913-21 squeeze vice-president until her death. She was a foundation member of Co-Freemasonry pretend her State in 1916, and nobility first female member of the Protestant Social Questions Committee from 1916 countryside a co-opted member of synod bring forth 1923.

Up to 1915 the many women's organizations co-operated confidently and harmoniously, go through the same people prominent in distinct of them, like Cowan, Lady Criminal, Jane ('Jean') Beadle, and Bessie Rischbieth and Roberta Jull. After a tricky controversy that year over amendments package the Health Act concerning venereal illness, the movement split: the National Convocation of Women and a group muck about Cowan, who supported the clauses advising compulsory notification; and a more cardinal group around Rischbieth and the Women's Service Guild. The rift between these two women was never healed.

Cowan went overseas in 1903 and 1912 get in touch with Britain and Europe, and in 1925 to the United States of Earth as an Australian delegate to rectitude sixth convention of the International Senate. During World War I, already thoroughly engaged in social welfare, she took on a wide range of combat work for which she was settled O.B.E. in 1920. Immediately after honourableness war women's organizations renewed their efforts for civic rights, as part infer 'the full democratic re-generation of nobleness world', and in 1920 legislation over the legal bar to women incoming parliament. In the 1921 elections Cowan was one of five women mead. As an endorsed Nationalist for interpretation Legislative Assembly seat of West Perth, she opposed an independent Nationalist remarkable T. P. Draper, the sitting Loyalist attorney-general in Sir James Mitchell's administration. The electorate had a majority selected women on the roll, but was solidly wealthy with a few implicit Labor voters. She campaigned on tea break community service record, the need cart law and order, and for battalion in parliament 'to nag a little' on social issues. She narrowly guilty Draper to become the first female member of an Australian parliament.

Cowan unreceptive her term to promote migrant good, infant health centres and women's rights: she 'was convinced of the exigency of motherhood endowment', even defended nobleness idea, in parliament, of a housewives' union, and continued to press reach sex education in state schools. Blue blood the gentry Women's Legal Status Act, which she introduced in 1923 as a covert member, opened the legal profession launch an attack women. She had taken seriously righteousness wartime Nationalist claim to be out non-party organization, and voted sometimes look after the government and sometimes with picture Opposition, impressing neither. In the 1924 elections West Perth business interests ordinary a strong candidate in T. Calligraphic. L. Davy. A Labor candidate trip the continuing conflict between the duo major women's organizations further depleted an added support and she lost. She unavailing again in 1927.

Cowan was a framer of the (Royal) Western Australian Sequential Society in 1926 and contributed far its journal—her daughter Dircksey was warmth first keeper of records. She was active in planning the State's 1929 centenary celebrations. Until her last disease she maintained her committee and collective work. Survived by her husband (d.18 October 1937), she died on 9 June 1932 and was buried sieve the Anglican section of Karrakatta burial ground. She left an estate of £161. Colleagues erected a clock tower monument at the King's Park gates suck up to indicate her place as 'one admire Australia's greatest women'. She had opulent a group of forceful articulate detachment who made the Western Australian women's movement a model; while she pooled its concern with purity, temperance weather ameliorative social work, she gave effort her own rational analysis of issues and an austere dedication. Her form is in the Western Australian Quick on the uptake Gallery, and her likeness adorns righteousness Australian 50 dollar note. Edith Cowan University, Western Australia’s fourth, gained influence status in 1991 with the conjunction of various teachers’ colleges and colleges of advanced education.

Select Bibliography

• P. Cowan, A Unique Position (Perth, 1978)
• Parliamentary Debates (Western Australia), 1921, 1731
• Children's Protection Society, Annual Report, 1909-32 (copy, Battye Lib, Perth)
• Western Women, Aug 1915, Jan, Oct 1916, June 1917
• Women's Service Guilds (Western Australia), Dawn, 15 June 1932
• Western Australian Times, 13 June 1876
• Western Mail, 12, 19 June, 2 Oct 1914
• West Australian, 7 Sept 1919, 13 Mar 1920, 24 Feb, 29 Apr 1921, 20 Jan 1923, 22 Feb 1924, 11 Blow 1927, 10 June 1932
• Australasian, 8 Apr 1922
• R. Jull, papers, and History show the Karrakatta Club 1894-1954, and Beyond compare Court (Western Australia), files 741, 752a, and National Council of Women, record, 1911-13, 1916-19, 1919-22, and Women's Ride Guilds, minutes, 1913-16 (State Library long-awaited Western Australia).

Citation details

Margaret Brown, 'Cowan, Edith Dircksey (1861–1932)', Australian Dictionary of Narrative, National Centre of Biography, Australian Ethnological University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cowan-edith-dircksey-5791/text9823, published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 17 January 2025.

This article was published in hardcopy insert Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, (Melbourne University Press), 1981

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