Catherine Winifred "Kate" Dwyer (; 13 June 1861 – 3 February 1949) was an Australian educator,

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

, and labour activist.

Early life and education

Dwyer née Golding was born at

Tambaroora Tambaroora is a locality in the Bathurst Regional Council local government area of the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. There was once a gold mining town of the same name, now a ghost town. It lies to the immediate north of Hill End, ...

Wellington County, New South Wales Wellington County is a Cadastral divisions of Australia, county in New South Wales, Australia, which was one of the original Nineteen Counties. The town of Wellington, New South Wales, Wellington is near the north-eastern edge. The Bell River ( ...

to Joseph Golding (died 1890), a gold-miner from

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, Ireland, and his Scottish wife, Ann (died 1906; née Fraser). She was educated at Hill End Public School.

Career

In 1880 Dwyer began teaching at Tambaroora Public School, she taught at numerous public primary school in New South Wales until she married fellow school teacher Michael Dwyer in 1887. From 1894 they lived in Sydney where Dwyer became a member of the

Womanhood Suffrage League of New South Wales ] The Womanhood Suffrage League of New South Wales, was founded in 1891 and campaigned for women's right to vote in New South Wales. Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Origins Mary Windeyer and Rose Scott, among others, ...

, her sisters, Annie Mackenzie Golding, Annie and Belle were also members. Dwyer was a founder of the Women's Progressive Association in 1901, the organisation promoted the entry of women into legal professions and equal benefits for women following divorce. Interested in women's working conditions she also founded the Women Workers' Union for home and fringe factory workers. She was one of six women elected to the

New South Wales Labor Party The New South Wales Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) and commonly referred to simply as NSW Labor, is the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The branch is the current ...

's executive in January 1906. The other five were Edith Bethel, Harriet Powell, the 1903 parliamentary candidate Selina Siggins, the American-born A. E. Gardiner, Mary Anne Grant, and Maggie Hall. Dwyer was active in the "no

conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...

" during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1916 Dwyer was the first woman in Australia to be elected a member of the Senate of the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

. In that capacity in 1918 she moved a resolution to support the introduction of legislation for women to enter the legal profession. In May 1921 she was one of the first 61 women to be appointed justices of the peace in New South Wales. Dwyer died on 3 February 1949 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Legacy

Dwyer Street in

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

, a suburb of

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, is named in her honour.

References

Womanhood Suffrage League of New South Wales

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Kate 1861 births 1949 deaths Australian suffragists Australian educators People from New South Wales Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Scottish descent Colony of New South Wales people Australian women activists Australian women trade unionists 20th-century Australian women

Early life and education

Career

Legacy

See also

References