Mary Ann Müller ( Wilson and then Griffiths; 22 September 1820 – 18 July 1901) was a New Zealand campaigner for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

and, more generally,

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. She is described by the ''

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online i ...

'' as "New Zealand's pioneer suffragist".

Life

Born in London, she moved to New Zealand with her two sons in 1849. It is uncertain whether she was a widow or whether she had left her husband on account of his cruelty. She worked for two years as a teacher in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and married her second husband, Stephen Lunn Müller, a surgeon and a fellow immigrant from Britain, there in 1851. Her first husband is known to have been dead by this point. In 1864, she met British women's rights advocate

Maria Rye Maria Susan Rye, (31 March 1829 – 12 November 1903), was a social reformer and a promoter of emigration from England, especially of young women living in Liverpool workhouses, to the colonies of the British Empire, especially Canada. Early life ...

, who was visiting New Zealand. Müller began to closely follow

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 ...

movements in Britain and the United States. She also began to write articles on the topic of women's rights, which her friend Charles Elliott, the editor of the ''

Nelson Examiner Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

'', published in his newspaper. Müller wrote under the pen name "Fémmina", primarily because her husband, a local politician, objected to her views. In 1869, still under a pseudonym, she wrote ''An appeal to the men of New Zealand'', the first pamphlet on the issue of women's suffrage to be published in New Zealand. Müller's argument was that it was necessary for women to obtain the vote in order for them to contribute fully to the progress of the nation. She also asked for the repeal of discriminatory legislation, and appealed to men – particularly members of Parliament – to take up the cause of women's suffrage. Her pamphlet "created considerable interest both in New Zealand and abroad". She received a letter of support and congratulations from

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

. Unwilling, because of her husband's position, to become a public activist, Müller nonetheless met William Fox in private to discuss her views. According to the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

, "the ''Married Women's Property Act'' of 1870 incorporated many of her ideas". She revealed her identity only in 1898, seven years after her husband's death. She died in Blenheim on 18 July 1901 and was interred at the

Omaka Cemetery Omaka Cemetery (also known as Blenheim Omaka Public Cemetery) is a historic cemetery in Blenheim, New Zealand founded in the 1850s. It consists of over 10,000 burials and is the largest cemetery in Marlborough due to its proximity to the region's ...

References

External links

"An appeal to the men of New Zealand"
full text, reproduced on a website of the New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage
Review of "An appeal to the men of New Zealand"
in the ''Nelson Examiner'', 1 September 1869, reproduced on a website of the New Zealand government
Outlines of the women's franchise movement in New Zealand
W Sidney Smith's book on wikisource. {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Mary New Zealand feminists 1820 births 1901 deaths 19th-century New Zealand people New Zealand suffragists Burials at Omaka Cemetery

Life

See also

References

External links