Kate Sheppard

Katherine Wilson Sheppard (10 March 1847 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of New Zealand's women's suffrage movement, and is the country's most famous suffragette. Because New Zealand was the first country to introduce universal suffrage, Sheppard's work had a considerable impact on women's suffrage movements in other countries.

Later life

In 1903, Sheppard stepped down from her positions at the National Council of Women due to ill health. Later that year, she and her husband (who had recently retired) moved to England, intending to retire there. She briefly stopped in Canada and the United States, meeting American suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt. In London, she was active in promoting women's suffrage in Britain, but was soon unable to continue her work due to her deteriorating health.

Related Topics:
1903 - Canada - United States - Carrie Chapman Catt - London

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In 1904, Sheppard returned to New Zealand. She remained relatively inactive in political circles, but continued to write. While she did not recover her former energy, her health was no longer declining, and she continued to influence the New Zealand women's movement to a great extent. In 1916, Sheppard and a group of other prominent suffragettes were able to revitalise the National Council of Women, which had gone into recess.

Related Topics:
1904 - 1916

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In 1925, Sheppard married William Sidney Lovell-Smith, her first husband having died in 1915 in England. Lovell-Smith died only four years later. Sheppard herself died in Christchurch on 13 July, 1934.

Related Topics:
1925 - 1915

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Sheppard is considered to be an important figure in New Zealand's history. A memorial to her exists in Christchurch, and her image appears on New Zealand's Ten dollar bill.

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A play about Sheppard and the Temperance movement 'O Temperance' written by acclaimed New Zealand playwright Mervyn Thompson was first performed in 1972 at the Christchurch Court Theatre. Actress Judy Cleine played Sheppard.

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