Alicia Teresa Jane O'Shea Petersen ( McShane; 2 July 1862 – 22 January 1923) was an Australian suffragist and social reformer. She was both the first woman to stand for the

Parliament of Tasmania The Parliament of Tasmania is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of the governor of Tasmania (as representative of the King), the Legislative Counci ...

and the first woman to stand for a Tasmanian seat in the

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the Monarchy of Australia, monarch of Australia (repr ...

Early life

Alicia Teresa Jane McShane was born in Tasmania to Hugh and Jane ( Wood) McShane. She became interested in women's and labour rights as a result of her own work in

sweatshop A sweatshop or sweat factory is a cramped workplace with very poor and/or illegal working conditions, including little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting and ventilation, or uncomfortably or dangerously high or low temperat ...

s. She was also influenced by her cousin, John Earle, who founded the Workers' Political League and became the first

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the Government of Tasmania, executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the Tasmanian House of Assem ...

in 1909.

Public life

Petersen was the first woman in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

to stand as a political candidate, contesting the federal seat of Denison in 1913 as an independent. In 1922, when women were first eligible to stand for the

Tasmanian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Tasmanian Legislative Council, Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House, Hobart, Parliament Hou ...

, she was a political candidate in Denison, again as an independent. As vice-president of the Women's Health Association, Petersen was instigator of both child welfare work and bush nursing in Tasmania. She was on the executive of the National Council of Women and the Tasmanian council of the Workers' Educational Association until her death.

Personal life

Petersen was twice married. On 28 May 1884, she married widower Patrick Robert O'Shea at St Joseph's Church, Hobart. Following a long illness, he died in March 1886, aged 39. She then married a mining investor named William Petersen at her home, Wilmott Terrace, Hobart on 16 December 1891. He died in 1912. Petersen died on 22 January 1923 at her home, Wilmott Terrace, 18 Harrington Street, Hobart.

References

External links

Alicia O'Shea Petersen
at Women Tasmania {{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Alicia O'Shea 1862 births 1923 deaths Australian suffragists Australian people of Irish descent Australian social reformers People from Hobart Colony of Tasmania people Australian women activists 20th-century Australian women