Dame Grace Hilda Cuthbertha Ross (née Nixon; 6 July 1883 – 6 March 1959), known as Hilda Ross, was a New Zealand politician for the National Party and an activist.

Early years

Nixon was born at

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

to Adam (a fireman who later became a marine engineer) and Zillah (Johnson) Nixon. Her family lived in both

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and Auckland, and she received her education in these cities. She trained as a music teacher and later conducted the Hamilton City Choral Operatic Society.

Family

In 1904, she married Harry Campbell Manchester Ross (died 1940) in Auckland. Her husband founded a furnishing company, "Barton and Ross". They had four sons, two of whom died in infancy The twins were born in 1907, survived only a few days, but were baptized Allan and Richard. Her two surviving sons were, Norman and Colin.

Political career

Her first elected posts were the Waikato Hospital Board (1941) and the Hamilton Borough Council (1944). She was Deputy Mayor of Hamilton in 1945. Following the death of the incumbent MP for

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Frank Findlay, she won the to represent the electorate in the New Zealand Parliament, where she remained until her death 14 years later in 1959.Hilda Ross bio
/ref> As MP she held various posts in the

First National Government The Anniversary of the First National Government ( es, Primer gobierno patrio) is a public holiday of Argentina, commemorating the May Revolution and the creation of the Primera Junta on May 25, 1810, which is considered the first patriotic govern ...

, including Member of the Executive Council (1949–1957), Minister of Social Security (1957), Minister of Welfare of Women and Children (1949–1957), and Minister of Child Welfare (1954–1957).

Later life

In 1952, she was appointed as a

Commander of the Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

. Ross was appointed a

Dame Commander 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 ...

in the 1956 New Year Honours. She died on 6 March 1959 in

Quote

*''"The Country is today enjoying so much prosperity that married women with children should wake up to their responsibilities in the home and stay at home"''.

Legacy

*Dame Hilda Ross Memorial Arts Centre & Dame Hilda Ross Memorial Arts Centre Appeal * A statue of Ross was erected in Hamilton in 2020.

Gallery

File:Dame Hilda Ross passport photo (1927).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross passport photo (1927) File:Dame Hilda Ross passport photo (1952).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross passport photo (1952) File:Dame Hilda Ross diplomatic passport (1952).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross diplomatic passport (1952) File:Dame Hilda Ross diplomatic passport (interior) (1952).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross diplomatic passport (interior) (1952) File:Dame Hilda Ross - Visas in passport (1952).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross - Visas in passport (1952) File:Dame Hilda Ross - visas in passport (2) (1952).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross - visas in passport (1952) File:Dame Hilda Ross - Visas in Passport (3) (1952).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross - Visas in Passport (1952) File:Dame Hilda Ross passport photo (1958).jpg, Dame Hilda Ross passport photo (1958)

Notes

References

* * *''Women in Parliamentary Life 1970–1990: Hocken Lecture 1993'' by Marilyn Waring, page 34–35 (Hocken Library, University of Otago, 1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Hilda 1883 births 1959 deaths New Zealand Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand People from Auckland People from Hamilton, New Zealand Women government ministers of New Zealand Local politicians in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates 20th-century New Zealand women politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand Hamilton City Councillors