Marie Louise Emilienne Rochecouste (20 September 1892 – 28 February 1979) was a

Mauritian Mauritians (singular Mauritian; french: Mauricien; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably ...

politician. In 1948 she became the first woman elected to the Legislative Council, serving until 1953.

Biography

Born Marie Louise Emilienne Orian in 1892 into a mixed-race

Franco-Mauritian Franco-Mauritians are an ethnic group from Mauritius who trace their ethnic ancestry to France and ethnic French people. Franco-Mauritians make up approximately 2% of the country's population. Origins The first French settlers arrived in Maurit ...

family, Rochecouste worked as a primary school teacher and headmistress.Chit Geerjanand Dukhira (2002) ''History of Mauritius: Experiments in Democracy'', p100Ramola Ramtohul (2009
Engendering Mauritian History: The HiddenControversies over Female Suffrage
''Afrika Zamani'', No. 17, pp63–80 She married Rapael Rochecouste July in 1916. 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 opposing ...

their son Jean died while serving in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. Rochecouste stood as an independent candidate in the six-seat Plaines Wilhems–Black River constituency in the August 1948 elections. At an executive committee meeting held on 11 July, the Labour Party decided to support her candidacy despite being opposed to the concept of female suffrage. She finished second in the vote, becoming the first woman elected to the Legislative Council. Following the elections, Denise De Chazal was appointed as a second female member. She lost her seat in the

1953 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1953. Africa * 1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election * 1953 South African general election * 1953 Southern Rhodesian federation referendum * 1953 South-West African legislative election ...

, finishing twentieth out of thirty candidates. Rochecouste was appointed an OBE in the

1958 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1958 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. In the 1970s the government school in her hometown of

Quatre Bornes Quatre Bornes () also known as ''La Ville des Fleurs'' (The City of Flowers), is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the western part also lies in the Rivière Noire District. The town is administered by the Municipal ...

was named after her.EMILIENNE ROCHECOUSTE GS: 24 élèves s’automutilent avec une lame de taille crayon
''Le Mauricien'', 16 June 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochecouste, Emilienne 1892 births Mauritian schoolteachers Mauritian Creoles Mauritian women in politics Labour Party (Mauritius) politicians Members of the National Assembly (Mauritius) Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1979 deaths