Eleanor Phoebe Smith (née Macleod; 1828 – 19 March 1913) was a New Zealand suffragist and magazine editor. She was considered one of the pioneers of the woman suffrage movement in New Zealand.

Early life

Smith was born in

Bristol, England Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...

and married James Thomas Smith in 1849. The couple emigrated from England with five children in 1860 - one infant died during the voyage. The family settled in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand and a further two children were born there. She was the mother of William Sydney Smith (1852-1929) who later changed his name to Lovell-Smith, after having married two powerful advocates of women's rights in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

: Mary Jane "Jennie" Cumberworth (1848-1924) and, upon her death, Kate Sheppard (1847-1934). Two of her daughters, Lucy Masey Smith (1861-1936) and Eleanor Swaffield Smith (1863-1939), also were involved in the suffrage movement.

Professional career and women's rights activism

In 1885, Smith became the editor of the magazine ''New Zealand Titbits.'' She wrote under the pen name "Vesta". Smith joined the

Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand (WCTU NZ) is a non-partisan, non-denominational, and non-profit organization that is the oldest continuously active national organisation of women in New Zealand. The national organization began ...

when a chapter in

formed in 1885, and the Canterbury Women's Institute which formed in 1892. She was present at the first meeting of the National Council of Women in 1896 and was still a vice president of the Women's Institute at the time of her death. She was an active member of the St Albans Methodist Church and president of the church's Ladies' Guild.

Death

Smith died on 19 March 1913 at her home in the Christchurch suburb of

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, and she was buried in Linwood Cemetery.

References

1828 births 1913 deaths Politicians from Bristol English emigrants to New Zealand People from Christchurch New Zealand suffragists New Zealand editors New Zealand magazine editors New Zealand women magazine editors Burials at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch {{NewZealand-activist-stub