Margaret Semple

Margaret Semple
JP
Wellington City Councillor
In office
1938–1941
Personal details
Born 1876
Bluff, New Zealand
Died 1967
Wellington, New Zealand
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Bob Semple

Margaret Semple JP (née McNair, 1876–1967) was a New Zealand socialist and local politician. She was married to Bob Semple, a Labour Party Cabinet Minister.

Biography

Early life

Margaret was born in 1876 to Thomas and Agnes McNair who both emigrated from Lanarkshire, Scotland to Otago, New Zealand. Her mother died in 1887 after which her father took the family to Victoria, Australia.[1] Margaret married Bob Semple, a coal miner and unionist, at Outtrim, Victoria, on 27 June 1898. She gave birth to their first child a year later. The Semples initially lived in Western Australia, but when Margaret fell sick, they had to return to Victoria.[2] She was friends with Margaret Thorn who labelled her a "capable woman" referring to how she almost solely raised her children whilst her husband was away on union or political matters. Thorn recalled a story where a girl accidentally cut off two of her fingers only for Semple to sew them back on with thread for a full recovery.[3]

Political career

Semple served as president of the Wellington women's branch of the Labour Party, and was a member of the party executive.[4] Semple was elected as a Wellington City Councillor in 1938.[5] She lost her seat in 1941, an election which saw all Labour councillors unseated.[6] She was also a long serving member of the Hospital Board, sitting on it from 1933 until 1941.[7] Historians have argued that her own political contributions between the 1910s and 1940s were considerable, though heavily overshadowed by her husband's, who himself seldom acknowledged her efforts in any depth.[8][9]

Semple died in 1967.

Notes

  1. ↑ Hickey 2010, p. 34.
  2. ↑ Richardson, Len. "Semple, Robert". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  3. ↑ Hickey 2010, p. 144.
  4. ↑ "Who's Who for the Elections". Evening Post. CXXV (107). 9 May 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Wellington City Council". Evening Post. CXXV (115). 18 May 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "New City Council". Evening Post. CXXXI (116). 19 May 1941. p. 9. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Hickey 2010, pp. 297-8.
  8. ↑ Stace, Hilary (1998). "Janet Fraser - Making Policy as Well as Tea". In Clark, Margaret. Peter Fraser: Master Politician. Dunmore Press. pp. 57–66.
  9. ↑ Hickey 2010, p. 298.

References

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