Mary Patricia Anderson (17 March 1887 – 18 February 1966) was one of the first two women appointed to the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a col ...

(upper house).

Early life

Anderson was born in 1887 at Moonlight, one of eight children. She was from

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

Political career

She was a founding member of the Greymouth branch of the New Zealand Labour Party. She was then secretary of the branch from 1918 to 1956. With Mary Dreaver she was appointed to the council on 31 January 1946 by the First Labour Government, after a law change in 1941 to make women eligible to serve on the council. They served to the end of 1950, when the Legislative Council was abolished by 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 ...

Life after politics

In 1950 she was elected to the Grey Hospital Board. She served on the Board for 12 years. She died at Greymouth in 1966; she had never married.

References

1887 births 1966 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Women members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Labour Party MLCs People from Greymouth 20th-century New Zealand women politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians Members of district health boards in New Zealand New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand people of Swedish descent {{NZLabour-politician-stub