Emily Dobson (10 October 1842 – 5 June 1934) was an Australian philanthropist. She was known for her work supporting women's charities.

Early life

Dobson was born in

Port Arthur, Tasmania Port Arthur is a town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, in Tasmania, Australia. It is located approximately southeast of the state capital, Hobart. The site forms part of the Australian Convict Sites, a World Heritage p ...

on 10 October 1842 to Thomas James Lempriere and Charlotte Lempriere née Smith. She was educated at home by her father. She married lawyer and politician, Henry Dobson, at the Bothwell Church of England on 4 February 1868.

Philanthropy work

Dobson began her philanthropy work after her husband was elected to the

Parliament of Tasmania The Parliament of Tasmania is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of the Governor of Tasmania, the Tasmanian House of Assembly (the lower house), and T ...

in 1891. She became secretary of the Women's Sanitary Association in September 1891 which was founded to fight an outbreak of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. The group petitioned Hobart local council and ran candidates for the municipal election of 1892, alongside the men's Sanitary and General Improvement Association. In 1892

Mary Jane Brabazon, Countess of Meath Lady Mary Jane Maitland became Mary Jane Brabazon, Countess of Meath (15 March 1847 – 4 November 1918) was a British philanthropist; founder of the Ministering Children's League. Early life Maitland was born in 1847 in London. She was the dau ...

and her husband visited New Zealand and Tasmania. In Hobart she spoke about the success of the ''Ministering Children's League''. It was agreed to start a group in Hobart. By 1906 there was a home in Victoria. In 1892 Dobson's founded a local ''Ministering Children's League''. In 1898 she founded the ladies' committee of the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution. Dobson also supported nursing institutions and was one of the founders of the New Town Consumptives' Sanatorium in 1905 as well as being a life-long patron of the Tasmanian Bush Nursing Association. Dobson was also a supporter of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

and was the vice-president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Tasmania. In 1899, she became vice-president of the newly founded National Council of Women of Tasmania and attended the 1899

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

meeting in London and was a delegate at the International Woman Suffrage Alliance Congress in Amsterdam in 1908. In 1919, the National Council of Women of Tasmania established the Emily Dobson Philanthropic Prize in recognition of her work. Dobson died in Hobart on 5 June 1934 and was buried in Queenborough cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Emily 1842 births 1934 deaths 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women Australian women activists Australian women philanthropists Australian philanthropists Australian women's rights activists People from Hobart Burials in Tasmania