Elsie Euphemia Andrews (23 December 1888 – 26 August 1948) was a New Zealand teacher and community leader. She was born in Huirangi,

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, New Zealand, on 23 December 1888. Her parents were John Andrews and his wife, Emily Young, who both came from Taranaki pioneering families. Elsie Andrews was the only one of twelve siblings who attended secondary school; she received her education at Huirangi School and with the help of a scholarship, she went on to

New Plymouth High School New Plymouth High School is the high school of New Plymouth, Idaho. It was built in 1986 after the previous high school building burned down in a fire on December 18, 1984. Originally, it was designed as a junior-senior high school, housing grades ...

. When she failed entrance examinations to both university and teachers' college, she became a pupil-teacher at Waitara School. After completing her training, she moved around various rural schools before getting a permanent position at

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

's Fitzroy School. She unsuccessfully contested the electorate in the as an Independent; she was one of only three women who stood for election that year. In the 1938 King's Birthday Honours, Andrews was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. Andrews died on 26 August 1948 at New Plymouth, having never married.

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Photos of the three female candidates
in the 1888 births 1948 deaths New Zealand educators New Zealand women educators Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election New Zealand conscientious objectors New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire {{NewZealand-bio-stub