Catherine Campbell Stewart (née Sword, 15 August 1881 – 2 April 1957) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Early life

Born in Glasgow, she migrated with her family to New Zealand in 1921. She was an ardent suffragette, and a member of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

. At Labour's 1938 conference Stewart stated "I am not speaking as a feminist but as a woman who wishes to stand shoulder to shoulder with our men" in her acceptance to stand as a party candidate.

Political career

She won the Wellington West electorate in the , when she defeated long-standing MP Robert Wright. She was the second woman to be elected to Parliament after

Elizabeth McCombs Elizabeth Reid McCombs (née Henderson, 19 November 1873 – 7 June 1935) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party who in 1933 became the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament. New Zealand women gained the right to vote in ...

and first to enter parliament as a result of a general election. Stewart saw herself as the "Member for Everywoman" and felt obliged to concentrate on issues in the interests of women, children and those in need. In 1941, she was joined by

Mary Dreaver Mary Manson Dreaver (née Bain, 31 March 1887 – 19 July 1961) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Biography Early life She was born in Dunedin, the oldest of 13 children of Alexander Manson Bain and Hanna Kiely. She married A ...

, also of the Labour party, bringing the total of female MPs to two. Stewart was defeated in the next election held in . This was seen as a result of public vilification due to two of her sons, who were conscientious objectors during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Later she was unsuccessfully nominated for a position on the New Zealand Legislative Council by Labour’s

Karori Karori is a suburb located at the western edge of the urban area of Wellington, New Zealand, 4 km from the city centre and is one of New Zealand's most populous suburbs, with a population of in History Origins The name ''Karori'' used ...

branch in her old electorate. In both

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

and

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

she unsuccessfully stood for the Wellington City Council on a Labour Party ticket. Both elections saw all Labour candidates defeated. After the death of her husband Charles in 1948, she returned to live in Glasgow, where she died on 2 April 1957.

References

* *''Women in Parliamentary Life 1970-1990: Hocken Lecture 1993'' by Marilyn Waring, page 35-36 (Hocken Library, University of Otago, 1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Catherine 1881 births 1957 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Politicians from Glasgow New Zealand suffragists Scottish emigrants to New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1943 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates 20th-century New Zealand women politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians