Edith Cowan
First Australian woman parliamentarian and social reformer
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Edith Cowan was the first woman elected to an Australian parliament, winning a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1921.[1] She is remembered as a social worker who worked for reforms for women, children, and migrants.[1] The $50 polymer banknote, which entered circulation on 4 October 1995, features a portrait of Cowan.[1]
Life and work
She married James Cowan, then Registrar of the Supreme Court, on 12 November 1879 at age 18.[2] She founded the Children's Protection Society, which helped introduce children's courts, and was appointed to the bench of the new court in 1915.[3] Cowan died of pancreatic cancer on 9 June 1932 at age 70.[4] When Cowan was seven years old, in 1868, her mother passed away during childbirth.[5]
The Karrakatta Club, a women's self-education group, was co-founded by Cowan in 1894.[6]
What the cited sources add
The same source states that Cowan narrowly defeated Attorney-General T.P. Draper when elected in 1921.[1] That office also notes the house has close associations with Cowan and her husband James, for whom the place was constructed.[7] The banknote description adds that Cowan gained insight from her husband's work as a police magistrate.[1] The banknote's design includes an image of Cowan's gumnut brooch, which she had made to represent the idea that entering Parliament was a "tough nut to crack" for women.[1]
References
- "$50 Banknote", Banknotes in Circulation. facts only, no text reused. banknotes.rba.gov.au
- Wikipedia, "Edith Cowan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "InHerit - State Heritage Office"; "Cowan, Dircksey Constance (1880-)", Trove (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Edith Cowan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "News and notes", The West Australian, 10 June 1915, p. 6; "Mainly About People", Daily News, 31 July 1915, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Edith Cowan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Late Mrs Cowan - Impressive Funeral", The West Australian, 13 June 1932, p. 12; "Mrs Cowan's death", The Daily News, 9 June 1932, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Edith Cowan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Review", The Herald, 20 February 1869, p. 2 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Edith Cowan" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "CENTENARY PERSONALITIES.", The West Australian, 5 July 1929, p. 6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "InHerit - State Heritage Office". facts only, no text reused. inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Edith Cowan (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Edith Cowan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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