Ellen Melville | |
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Auckland City Councillor | |
In office 1913–1946 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Eliza Ellen Melville 13 May 1882 Tokatoka, Northland, New Zealand |
Died | 27 July 1946 Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand | (aged 64)
Resting place | Waikumete Cemetery |
Political party | Reform (1919–1922) |
Profession | Lawyer |
Eliza Ellen Melville (13 May 1882 – 27 July 1946) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician. She was New Zealand's second female lawyer, and the first woman elected to a city council in New Zealand. She sat on the Auckland City Council for 33 years and was tireless in her work for women's organisations and causes, including in particular the National Council of Women of New Zealand. She believed in the importance of women participating fully and equally in public life, and was a key figure in the revival of the feminist movement in New Zealand after women's suffrage. She was one of the first women to stand for Parliament in New Zealand and ultimately stood (unsuccessfully) seven times.[1]