Margaret Bullock (née: Carson), also known as Tua-o-rangi, (4 January 1845–17 June 1903) was a New Zealand journalist, writer,

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and social reformer.

Biography

Although there is little known about Margaret Bullock's early life, at age 24 she married George Bullock, a warehouse-man, on 10 February 1869 in Auckland. After eight years of marriage and the birth of five children, Margaret Bullock became a widow when her husband George died at sea aboard the ''May Queen'' in 1877. She then moved her family down 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. Whangan ...

to work as a reporter for the ''

Wanganui Chronicle ''The Whanganui Chronicle'' is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Whanganui, it celebrated 160 years of publishing in September 2016. It is the main daily paper for the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions, including the towns of Patea, ...

'', owned by her brother, Gilbert Carson. As reporter and assistant editor for the

, Bullock became one of New Zealand's first female parliamentary reporters. Under her

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, Tua-o-rangi, Bullock published her first and only novel, ''Utu: a story of love, hate, and revenge'' in 1894. In 1902, Margaret Bullock was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to withdraw from political activism and retired from many of her suffrage organisations and committees. At the age of 57, Bullock died from cancer on 17 June 1903 at her home in Wanganui.

Political activism

In 1893, Bullock founded the Wanganui Women's Franchise League, which worked towards getting the vote for women. Bullock was the vice president of the organisation since its establishment, and eventually served as president from 1893 to 1897. Later, her familiarity with politics eased the passing of the 1893 Electoral Bill which gave New Zealand women the vote. She helped run the

National Council of Women of New Zealand , logo = National Council of Women of New Zealand logo.png , logo_size = 100px , logo_alt = , logo_caption = , image = , image_size = , alt = , capt ...

, serving as vice president in 1900, and was significant in encouraging political participation in women and defending their rights. Unlike other prominent suffragists at the time, Bullock was not supportive of the

Women's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

(WCTU), but continued to fight for equal rights and equal pay within Wanganui.

References

External links

Link to Bullock's novel, ''UTU: A Story of Love, Hate, and Revenge''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, Margaret 1845 births 1903 deaths New Zealand feminists New Zealand journalists New Zealand women journalists New Zealand suffragists 19th-century New Zealand people People from Whanganui 19th-century women writers