Dame Dorothea Jean Horsman (née Morrell; 17 April 1918 – 7 January 1994) was a New Zealand women's rights advocate.

Biography

Horsman was born Dorothea Jean Morrell in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on 17 April 1918, the daughter of Jean Morrell (née Morris) and Samuel Tankard Morrell. She was educated at

Auckland Girls' Grammar School Auckland Girls' Grammar School (AGGS) is a New Zealand secondary school for girls located in Newton, New Zealand, Newton, Auckland. Established in 1878 as Auckland Girls' High School, it is one of the oldest secondary institutions in the countr ...

, and went on to study at Auckland Teachers' College and

Auckland University College The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loca ...

, graduating

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

with second-class honours in 1941. She married Ernest Alan Horsman on 16 December 1943. Horsman worked as a schoolteacher from 1941 until 1945. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she travelled to the United Kingdom with her husband, where he first undertook postgraduate studies at

St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. In 1974, it was also one of the first men's colleges to admit women. It has 528 un ...

, and then lectured at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

between 1947 and 1956. When Alan Horsman was appointed professor of English at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in 1957, Dorothea and Alan Horsman and their three children returned to New Zealand. Dorothea Horsman became active in various university and community groups in Dunedin, including the

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre in Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. From 1989 until 2023 the theatre hosted the long running play '' The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by aut ...

, the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

and Marriage Guidance. She joined the Federation of University Women (FUW), and became the FUW's representative on the National Council of Women. She also undertook postgraduate study, completing a second Master of Arts degree, on Russian literature, in 1969. The title of her thesis was ''Some secondary characters in Dostoevsky: studied in relation to the main characters''. Horsman served as president of the Federation of University Women from 1973 to 1976, and president of the National Council of Women from 1982 to 1986. She led the New Zealand delegation at the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...

conferences in 1979 and 1986, and council in 1983. She also was leader of the New Zealand delegation to the International FUW conference in 1974. In 1979, she was appointed a justice of the peace. From 1980 to 1983, Horsman was president of the Arthritis Foundation of New Zealand. She was a member of the Churchill Memorial Trust Board from 1983 to 1989, and served on the Working Party on Liquor, established by the government, from 1985 to 1986. Horsman wrote two reports that focused on the role of women in contemporary society in the 1970s: ''What Price Equality?'' in 1974, which was commissioned by the National Council of Women, and investigated equal pay for women; and ''Women at Home'', in 1976 for the Federation of University Women. Horsman died in Dunedin on 7 January 1994, and her ashes were buried in

Andersons Bay Cemetery Andersons Bay Cemetery is a major cemetery in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, on a rocky outcrop which forms the inland part of Lawyers Head, a promontory which juts into the Pacific Ocean. ...

. Her husband, Alan Horsman, died in 2019.

Honours and awards

In 1977, Horsman was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...

. In the

1986 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1986 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countri ...

, she was appointed a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to the community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horsman, Dorothea 1918 births 1994 deaths Activists from Wellington City People educated at Auckland Girls' Grammar School University of Auckland alumni University of Otago alumni New Zealand feminists New Zealand women's rights activists New Zealand community activists New Zealand justices of the peace New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Burials at Andersons Bay Cemetery People from Dunedin