29 Facts About Ellen Melville

Eliza Ellen Melville was a New Zealand lawyer and politician.

Ellen Melville was New Zealand's second female lawyer, and the first woman elected to a city council in New Zealand.

Ellen Melville 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.

Ellen Melville 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.

Ellen Melville was one of the first women to stand for Parliament in New Zealand and ultimately stood seven times.

Ellen Melville's father Alexander Melville was a farmer and boatbuilder, while her mother Eliza was a former teacher, who had run a private school in Hokitika with her sister in the 1870s.

Ellen Melville was taught at home by her mother until she was seven, and her mother's influence contributed to her lifelong belief in the importance of education and knowledge.

Ellen Melville boarded with relatives in Auckland during this period.

In 1898, Ellen Melville finished secondary school and passed the Solicitors' General Knowledge Examination.

Ellen Melville was too young to study law at university at this time, so joined the Auckland firm of Devore and Cooper as a clerk and received her early training there.

Ellen Melville's family was unable to provide her with financial support so she attended night classes and continued working at the firm.

When Ellen Melville was admitted to the bar in 1906, she was only the second woman in New Zealand to reach this stage after Ethel Benjamin.

Ellen Melville established her own legal practice, being the first woman in New Zealand to do so, and practised on her own account for 37 years.

Ellen Melville's legal practice consisted mainly of conveyancing and was a means of financial support, which enabled her to establish a political career.

Ellen Melville was highly active in promoting women's causes, and in encouraging full participation by women in public life.

Ellen Melville was a strong advocate of women seeking political office.

Ellen Melville tended to be conservative in issues not relating to women's rights, and took part in all aspects of civic work, including sitting on the key finance committee, chairing the library committee and working on parks issues.

Ellen Melville was a driver of the revival of the National Council of Women of New Zealand in 1918, having called the first meeting of the Auckland NCW branch in 1917, and the following year attending the preliminary conference in Wellington where the NCW was formally reinstated.

Ellen Melville became the first president of the Auckland branch and from 1919 to 1922 was national president.

Ellen Melville believed strongly that women must work together to advance their cause, and established a number of other women's groups, including the Auckland YWCA Club for businesswomen, of which she was secretary and later vice-president, the Auckland Lyceum Club and the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children.

Ellen Melville urged women to take a broad view and "get in personal touch with the women's movement throughout the world".

Ellen Melville was active in the campaign that led to the Women's Parliamentary Rights Act 1919, allowing women to stand for Parliament for the first time.

Together with Rosetta Baume and Aileen Cooke, Ellen Melville was one of the first three women to stand for Parliament in New Zealand.

Ellen Melville believed that she had been blocked due to the Reform Party not wanting a woman as a candidate, and she stood as an independent candidate in Roskill.

Ellen Melville was however selected as the Reform Party's candidate for Grey Lynn in the 1925 general election, and secured 5,296 votes against the incumbent's 6,061.

Ellen Melville subsequently stood in the 1928 general election, the 1931 general election, and the 1943 election, generally performing well but never winning.

Ellen Melville was one of six candidates who stood for selection for the Auckland East electorate by the National Party for the 1938 election, but Harry Merritt was chosen instead.

In 1935, Ellen Melville was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Ellen Melville's coffin was laid in state in the Auckland City Council chamber, and the city flags were flown at half-mast.