Dame Nancy Eileen Buttfield, ( Holden; 12 November 1912 – 4 September 2005) was an Australian

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 ...

and the first woman to serve in the

Australian Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...

as a representative of the state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Early life

Buttfield was born on 12 November 1912 in

Kensington Gardens, South Australia Kensington Gardens is an eastern suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Burnside. It includes a large recreational park, Kensington Wama, or Kensington Gardens Reserve. History Inhabited by the Kaurna people before settlement by Europeans, the are ...

. She was the daughter of Hilda May (née Lavis) and

Edward Holden Sir Edward Wheewall Holden (14 August 1885 – 17 June 1947) was an Australian industrialist who took his family carriage and saddlery business, Holden & Frost, into a partnership with General Motors to create Australia's first automobile manuf ...

. Her father, who was knighted in 1946, was the co-founder of the automobile marque

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last thre ...

, which had its origins in a

saddlery Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse i ...

established by his grandfather James Holden. He was elected to the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...

in 1935. She was educated at Girton House Girls' Grammar School (1918–1923) and Woodlands Glenelg Church of England Girls' Grammar School (1924–1929). She was a school prefect and house captain in her final year. She subsequently attended a

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wit ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for a year and then studied psychology, music, logic and economics at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. She was a member of a predominantly male

model parliament The Model Parliament is the term, attributed to Frederic William Maitland, used for the 1295 Parliament of England of King Edward I. History This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the v ...

, eschewing the women's model parliament. Prior to entering politics, Buttfield was a housewife who was involved with a number of charitable causes, considering herself a "professional fundraiser". These included the Queen Victoria Maternity Hospital, the Mothers' and Babies' Health Association, and the

Australian Comforts Fund Australian Comforts Fund (ACF) was an Australian umbrella organisation for voluntary bodies set up after the outbreak of World War I. Many men and women worked at the ACF, including Alice Berry and Cyril Docker in WW2. World War I The Australi ...

, established to support soldiers during World War II. In 1946, she and Esther Lipman helped establish the Emergency Maternity Hospital at

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

, of which she became the co-manager.

Politics

Buttfield first entered the Senate on 11 October 1955, having been chosen by the Parliament of

, under Section 15 of the

Australian Constitution The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the ...

, to replace Senator

George McLeay George McLeay (6 August 1892 – 14 September 1955) was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Menzies Liberal government. Early life McLeay was born in Port Clinton, South Australia and educated at Port Clinton Public School unt ...

, who had died the previous month. She was elected in her own right in the 1955 general election. On 8 December 1961, she resigned her seat in the Senate, with her term set to expire on 30 June 1962. The resignation was only in order to contest the

casual vacancy In politics, a casual vacancy (''casual'' in the sense of "by chance") is a situation in which a seat in a deliberative assembly becomes vacant during that assembly's term. Casual vacancies may arise through the death, resignation or disqualifi ...

caused by the death of

Rex Pearson Rex Whiting Pearson (13 January 1905 – 11 September 1961) was an Australian politician. Born in Kadina, South Australia, he was educated in Adelaide at Prince Alfred College before becoming a farmer and grazier, initially at Sandilands on ...

, in the 1961 election the next day. Gordon Davidson had been appointed by the South Australian parliament to replace Pearson but did not contest the casual vacancy. Buttfield won the election for casual vacancy and served for the remainder of Pearson's term, due to expire in 1965. Buttfield's vacancy was filled by Davidson, who was appointed on 8 February 1962, for the remaining four months of the term. Even though her parliamentary service was continuous, she was the first woman member of the Australian parliament to resign.Psephos – Adam Carr's Election Archive
/ref> She remained in the Senate until 30 June 1965, having lost her seat at the 1964 Senate election. She was re-elected in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, her new term commencing on 1 July 1968. When a federal election was called on 11 April 1974, both houses were dissolved in a

double dissolution A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks in the bicameral Parliament of Australia between the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). A double dissolution ...

and she chose to retire, having served a total of sixteen and a half years. She was the last surviving member of the 1955–1956 Senate. Buttfield was known for her advocacy of women's rights. It is said that, with the encouragement of the then prime minister, Sir

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

, she broke down a long-established convention in Old Parliament House by becoming the first woman to drink at the previously male-only Members' Bar.

Personal life

Buttfield had two sons with her auctioneer husband Frank Charles Buttfield, whom she married in 1936. Her son Andrew was an unsuccessful candidate of the Workers Party at the 1975 federal election. After leaving the Senate she retired to a farm at Chain of Ponds; while the house was under construction she and her husband lived in disused railway carriages. Buttfield was widowed in 1998 and died in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 4 September 2005, aged 92.

Honours

Buttfield 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 ...

(DBE) in the

1972 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1972 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. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lon ...

References

Sources

Profile of Dame Nancy Buttfield

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buttfield, Nancy 1912 births 2005 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia Australian Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Women members of the Australian Senate Place of birth missing Place of death missing 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians