Frances Ann Stewart (née Carkeek, 18 June 1840 – 12 November 1916) was an Australian-born New Zealand social activist for women and children's rights. She was the first female member of a New Zealand hospital board.

Early life

Stewart was born in Sydney in 1840. Her parents were Martha Piotti and Stephen Carkeek, the commander of the revenue cutter ''Ranger''. In 1842 the family moved to Nelson, New Zealand, where her brother

Arthur Carkeek Arthur Wakefield Carkeek (1843 – 24 May 1897) was a member of the Armed Constabulary in the New Zealand Wars, and was one of only 23 recipients of the New Zealand Cross for gallantry. Later he was a civil engineer and land surveyor. Early li ...

was born, and they moved again to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

in 1849 when her father was promoted to collector of customs. In 1865, she married the engineer and surveyor John Tiffin Stewart. In 1870 the Stewarts moved to Foxton, where Frances gave birth to five daughters and five sons.

Advocacy

Stewart was a prominent social activist who advocated for numerous causes, particularly women's rights and children's health and education. After John Stewart retired in 1889, the family moved to

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

, where both Frances and John became important members of the community by hosting parties, fundraising, and leading community organisations. Frances Stewart was involved in the founding of the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

-run Wanganui Orphanage in 1889 and, following her infant grandson's serious illness and successful treatment in 1909, dedicated their house to children's healthcare; it became the Stewart Karitane Home. She also donated land to establish the Wanganui Girls' College and was appointed the superintendent of a system of

Sunday schools A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

in Wanganui. Stewart fought for women's right to participate in public activities, including politics, education, and church affairs. In 1896 she nominated herself for election to the Wanganui Borough Council with a view to ultimately being elected to the Wanganui Hospital Board. Although she was not elected to the council, in 1897 and 1898 she was appointed to the Wanganui and Marton Hospital Boards, making her the first female member of a hospital board in New Zealand. Although she retired in 1899, citing the difficulty of achieving progress as the lone woman board member, she was reappointed to the Wanganui board for a year in 1903. In 1910, the first year that board members were elected rather than appointed, she ran again, and although she was unsuccessful she later said: "I consider myself a pioneer for my own sex, hoping that other women will have the courage to come forward the next time there is an election." She was a frequent letter writer to local newspapers, often using pseudonyms such as "A Mother", "Indignant Mother", and "Vox". Although Stewart was a

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 ...

, she believed that the vote should not be granted indiscriminately to all women, that women's education should focus on preparing them to be decent wives and mothers, and that granting women economic independence would lead to "plenty of domestic unhappiness".

Later years in Whanganui

Stewart House was the home of John Tiffin Stewart and Frances Ann Stewart and is located in Plymouth Street

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

. It is now a private home but it is remembered as the Karitane Home and later as the boarding residence for secondary school students.

Death

Stewart died in her Wanganui home on 12 November 1916.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Frances 1840 births 1916 deaths People from Sydney People from Whanganui New Zealand women's rights activists New Zealand women activists 19th-century New Zealand people Members of district health boards in New Zealand Australian emigrants to New Zealand