Dame Marie Freda Breen (; 3 November 1902 – 17 June 1993) was an Australian politician who served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

from 1962 to 1968, representing the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Early life

Marie Freda Chamberlin was born in

St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 6 km (4 miles) south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip Local governmen ...

, to Jane Maud () and Frederick William Chamberlin. Her father worked as a clerk at the

St Kilda City Council The City of Port Phillip is a local government area of Victoria, Australia on the northern shores of Port Phillip, south of Melbourne's central business district. It has an area of 20.7 km² and had a population of 113,200 in June 2018. Po ...

. Chamberlin attended

St Michael's Grammar School , motto_translation = For the Church of God , location = 25 Chapel Street, St Kilda, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Melbourne , ...

, and then after a course in shorthand and typing found work as a law clerk. She married lawyer Robert Tweeddale Breen on 12 December 1928.

Politics

Breen was introduced to public life when her husband became Mayor of Brighton in 1941. In 1952 she served as chairman of the

Federal Women's Committee of the Liberal Party of Australia The Federal Women's Committee of the Liberal Party of Australia was formed in August 1945 at the inaugural meeting of the party's Federal Council. That year the influential lobby group The Australian Women's National League merged with the Liberal ...

. She was a Senator from July 1962 until her retirement in June 1968.

Family

She married Robert Breen on 12 December 1928. Their daughter,

Jeannette Patrick Jeannette Tweeddale Patrick (née Breen; 2 November 1929 – 24 May 2011) was an Australian politician. She was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1976 to 1985. Patrick was born in Brighton, the daughter of solici ...

(2 November 1929 – 24 May 2011), also entered politics. She was the Liberal Member for

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

(in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

), 1976–85, and as Parliamentary Secretary (1979–82).

Honours

Breen was made an Iffucer of the Order of the British Empire in 1958 and a Dame in 1979. Breen attended St Michael's Church of England Grammar School. In 1987, when the school decided to bring in a new house, the house was named after Dame Marie Breen. In 2010 she was nominated for the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

for her work as a member of the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

, representing the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

References

1902 births 1993 deaths Australian Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Victoria Politicians from Melbourne Women members of the Australian Senate People educated at St Michael's Grammar School 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians People from St Kilda, Victoria {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub