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
The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand ( King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by h ...
.
New Zealand women gained
the right to vote in 1893, though were not allowed to stand for the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
until the
election of 1919.
McCombs had previously contested elections in 1928 and 1931.
Early years
McCombs was born in
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is con ...
,
North Canterbury
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current fo ...
, New Zealand. She was one of the nine children of Alice and Daniel Henderson. The family spent some years living in Ashburton, but in about 1882 the family moved to Christchurch.
A passion for activism was embedded in her family, as some of her siblings were notable activists themselves. Two of McCombs' sisters,
Stella Henderson and
Christina Kirk Henderson, were both in the public eye; Stella writing for a prominent New Zealand newspaper, and Christina advocating for the
suffrage movement
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
.
![Stella, Kathleen and Elizabeth Henderson in 1890s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Stella%2C_Kathleen_and_Elizabeth_Henderson_in_1890s.jpg)
In 1886, her alcoholic father died, leaving her family in financial difficulty for a time.
Politics
McCombs became interested in socialism through the influence of her elder sisters, who were involved in the Progressive Liberal Association, a small socialist-orientated group. One of the Progressive Liberal Association's goals was to increase the political rights of women. McCombs herself became involved in the Association, and as an extension of this, with the New Zealand
Women's Christian Temperance Union
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...
, run by prominent New Zealand
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 v ...
Kate Sheppard
Katherine Wilson Sheppard ( Catherine Wilson Malcolm; 10 March 1848 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand and the country's most famous suffragist. Born in Liverpool, England, she emig ...
. McCombs held a number of positions within the Temperance Union throughout her life, including that of national treasurer.
In 1903, McCombs married
James McCombs
James (Jimmy) McCombs (9 December 1873 – 2 August 1933) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton.
Biography Early life and career
McCombs was born in Treanmore, Mohill, County Leitrim, Ireland, the elder child of George McCombs, ...
, a strong socialist who had also been involved with the Progressive Liberal Association. They were to have two children, and adopted two more. James McCombs was active in left-wing political circles, and was later to become an MP for the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
. When the
Labour Party was founded in 1916, he became its first president. At the same time, Elizabeth McCombs was elected to the party's executive,
alongside another woman,
Sarah Snow
Sarah Ellen Oliver Snow (née Murphy, 16 February 1864 – 13 February 1939) was a New Zealand political activist, feminist and welfare worker. She was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1864. She was on the national executive of the Social D ...
.
In 1921, McCombs gained election to the Christchurch City Council, being the second woman to do so. She remained a member of the council until 1935, when she chose to step down. During this time, she was also active in a large number of other organisations, including hospital boards and charities. Her work was recognised in 1926, when she was made a
Justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
.
In the
1928 elections, McCombs stood (unsuccessfully) for the
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is con ...
electorate, as the Labour Party's first female nominee. In the
1931 elections, she contested the seat of
Christchurch North
Christchurch North is a former New Zealand parliamentary New Zealand electorates, electorate. The electorate comprised the northern half of what is now considered the Christchurch Central City.
Population centres
The previous electoral redistrib ...
, also unsuccessfully.
Parliamentary Career
On the death in August 1933 of McCombs' husband James, who had held his parliamentary seat of
Lyttelton since 1913, it was suggested that Elizabeth McCombs herself should be the Labour Party's new candidate for the Lyttelton seat. Some members of the party were initially hesitant, but she was eventually selected as the Labour candidate. When the
1933 by-election was held on 13 September, McCombs won resoundingly: James had been returned by only 32 votes in the 1931 elections, but Elizabeth received a majority of 2600 votes, electing her the first woman
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
.
She made her maiden speech on 28 September.
Issues
In parliament, McCombs spoke out on a number of issues, many of which involved women's rights and welfare.
Among the causes she promoted were:
* Equal pay for women.
* Changes to unemployment policy, which was more generous towards unemployed men than unemployed women.
* Recruitment of women into the police force.
* Raising the age of marriage (then 12 for girls and 14 for boys).
In a 1926 article in Christchurch newspaper ''
The Press
''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...
'', McCombs was described as being "impatient with working people, tending to represent their best interests and not necessarily their opinions. She called a deputation representing the unemployed "an illogical crowd" when they said they wanted work but criticised having to work for charitable aid."
Illness and death
Increasingly poor health made it difficult for McCombs to participate fully in politics. She died in Christchurch on 7 June 1935 aged 61, less than two years after entering parliament.
In 1935, she was awarded the
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V.
Issue
This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...
.
Despite her short career in parliament, she demonstrated that women could successfully seek election, and it was not long before a second woman (
Catherine Stewart
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 ...
in 1938, elected for
Wellington West) entered parliament. In her
Lyttelton electorate, she was succeeded by her son
Terry McCombs
Sir Terence Henderson McCombs (5 September 1905 – 6 November 1982) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, a High Commissioner, and the first principal of Cashmere High School.
Biography Early life
McCombs was born in 1905 and rec ...
, who was the
Minister of Education in the
First Labour Government from 1947 to 1949. Terry McCombs held the Lyttelton seat until 1951, concluding a 38-year family hold on the seat.
References
Bibliography
*
*Elizabeth McCombs is the main character in the play
Women Like Us' (1993), commissioned by the Suffrage Centenary Trust and written by
Helen Varley Jamieson
Helen Varley Jamieson is a digital media artist, playwright, performer, director and producer from New Zealand. She "is engaged in an ongoing exploration of the collision between theatre and the internet." Since 1997 she has been working on the i ...
.
*
Biography in 1966 ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand''*Obituary in ''
The Press
''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One comm ...
'', 8 June 1935 by James Oakley Wilson, Chief Librarian, General Assembly Library, Wellington
*''Women in Parliamentary Life 1970–1990: Hocken Lecture 1993'' by Marilyn Waring, pp. 32–33 (Hocken Library, University of Otago, 1994)
External links
Christchurch City Library: Elizabeth McCombsCartoon of Elizabeth McCombs entering Parliament, with male MPs in drag"Elizabeth Reid McCombs: Devoted Champion of Women's Interests" NZ Truth , Issue 1156, 26 January 1928, Page 6
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCombs, Elizabeth
1873 births
1935 deaths
Burials at Waimairi Cemetery
New Zealand Labour Party MPs
Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand temperance activists
New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
People from Christchurch
People from Ashburton, New Zealand
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1931 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election
20th-century New Zealand women politicians
20th-century New Zealand politicians