Katherine Wilson Sheppard (born Catherine Wilson Malcolm; 10 March 1848 – 13 July 1934) was a New Zealand suffragist known for organising the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition which resulted in New Zealand becoming the first country to establish universal suffrage.
Born in Liverpool, England, she emigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1868. There she became an active member of various religious and social organisations, including the Women's Christian Temperance Union New Zealand (WCTU NZ). In 1887 she was appointed the WCTU NZ's National Superintendent for Franchise and Legislation, a position she used to advance the cause of women's suffrage in New Zealand.
Sheppard promoted women's suffrage by organising petitions and public meetings, by writing letters to the press, and by developing contacts with politicians. She was the editor of The White Ribbon, the first woman-operated newspaper in New Zealand. Through her skilful writing and persuasive public speaking, she successfully advocated women's suffrage. Her pamphlets Ten Reasons Why the Women of New Zealand Should Vote and Should Women Vote? contributed to the cause. This work culminated in a petition with 30,000 signatures calling for women's suffrage that was presented to parliament, and the successful extension of the franchise to women in 1893. As a result, New Zealand became the first country to establish universal suffrage.
Sheppard was the first president of the National Council of Women of New Zealand, founded in 1896, and helped reform the organisation in 1918. In later life, she travelled to Britain and assisted the suffrage movement there. With failing health, she returned to New Zealand, after which she continued to be involved in writing on women's rights, although she became less politically active. She died in 1934, leaving no descendants.
Sheppard is considered an important figure in New Zealand's history. A memorial to her exists in Christchurch. Her portrait replaced that of Queen Elizabeth II on the front of the New Zealand ten-dollar note in 1991.
Early life
Kate Sheppard was born Catherine Wilson Malcolm on 10 March 1848 in Liverpool, England, to Scottish parents Jemima Crawford Souter and Andrew Wilson Malcolm. Her father, born in Scotland in 1819, was described in various documents as either a lawyer, banker, brewer's clerk, or legal clerk; he married Souter in the Inner Hebrides on 14 July 1842. Catherine was named after her paternal grandmother, also Catherine Wilson Malcolm, but preferred to spell her name "Katherine" or to abbreviate it to "Kate". She had an elder sister Marie, born in Scotland, and three younger siblings – Frank, born in Birmingham, and Isabella and Robert, both born in London; evidently, the family moved often during that period. Details of the children's education are unknown, though Kate's later writings demonstrate extensive knowledge of science and law, indicating a strong education. She was known for her broad knowledge and intellectual ability. Her father loved music and ensured that the family had good musical training.
Kate's father died in 1862, in his early forties, but left his widow with sufficient means to provide for the family. After her father's death, Kate lived with her uncle, a minister of the Free Church of Scotland at Nairn; he, more than anyone else, instilled in her the values of Christian socialism. During this time, the rest of the family stayed with relatives in Dublin, where Kate later joined them.
George Beath, the future husband of Kate's sister Marie, emigrated to Melbourne in 1863 and later moved to Christchurch. After Marie joined him there, they were married in 1867 and their first child was born the following year. Marie's accounts of Christchurch motivated Jemima to move her family to New Zealand, as she was seeking better prospects for her sons' employment and wanted to see her granddaughter. They sailed on the Matoaka from Gravesend on 12 November 1868, arriving in Lyttelton Harbour on 8 February 1869.
In Christchurch, most of the family, including Kate, joined the Trinity Congregational Church. The minister was William Habens, a graduate of the University of London who was also Classics Master at Christchurch High School. Kate became part of Christchurch's intellectual and social scenes, and spent time with Marie and George's growing family.
Kate married Walter Allen Sheppard, a shop owner, at her mother's house on 21 July 1871. Walter had been elected to the Christchurch City Council in 1868, and may have impressed Kate with his knowledge of local matters. They lived on Madras Street, not far from her mother's home, and within walking distance of the city centre. The Trinity Congregational Church raised funds for a new building from 1872 to 1874, and Kate was most likely involved in this. She formed a friendship with Alfred Saunders, a politician and prominent temperance activist who may have influenced her ideas on women's suffrage. Sheppard and her husband arrived in England in 1877 and spent a year there, then returned to Christchurch. Their only child, Douglas, was born on 8 December 1880.
Sheppard was an active member of various Christian organisations. She taught Sunday school, and in 1884 was elected secretary of the newly formed Trinity Ladies' Association, a body established to visit parishioners who did not regularly attend church services. The association also helped with fundraising and did jobs for the church such as providing morning tea. Sheppard wrote reports on the work of the association, tried to recruit new members, and worked to retain existing ones. The following year she joined the Riccarton Choral Society. Her solo in a May 1886 concert was praised in the Lyttelton Times. She also served on the management committee of the YWCA.
Women's suffrage movement
Early engagement Kate Sheppard's activism and engagement with politics began after listening to or reading about a talk by Mary Leavitt from the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) of the United States. In 1885 Leavitt toured New Zealand speaking not only about the problems caused by alcohol consumption, but also the need for women to have a "voice in public affairs". She spent two weeks in Christchurch, starting with a public speech at the Theatre Royal on 10 May. Journalists were impressed by the strength of public speaking displayed by a woman, something not witnessed often at that time in New Zealand.
Sheppard became involved in establishing a Christchurch branch of the WCTU NZ prior to the formation of a national organisation. Her initial involvement was in promoting petitions to Parliament to prevent women being employed as barmaids, and to outlaw the sale of alcohol to children. This marked the beginning of her collaborations with Alfred Saunders, who advised her on her negotiations with politicians and who wrote to the premier, Sir Robert Stout, seeking to further her campaign. The barmaid petitions (including some from other parts of the country) were rejected by the Petitions Committee of Parliament later in 1885. Sheppard decided that politicians would continue to ignore petitions from women as long as women could not vote.
In 1879 universal male suffrage had been granted to all men over the age of 21 whether they owned property or not, but women were still excluded as electors. A limited number of voting rights were extended to female voters in the 1870s. Female ratepayers were able to vote in local body elections in 1873 and in 1877 women "householders" were given the right to vote in and stand for education boards.
The New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance Union was formed under the leadership of Anne Ward at a conference in Wellington in February 1886. Sheppard did not attend that conference, but at the second national convention in Christchurch a year later, she arrived ready to present a paper on women's suffrage, although there was no opportunity for her to do so. She was first appointed Superintendent for Relative Statistics, owing to her interest in economics. In 1887when more local Franchise departments were established within the WCTU NZshe replaced Mrs. G Clarke as National Superintendent for the Franchise and Legislation.
Much of the support for moderation came from women, and the WCTU NZ believed that women's suffrage could advance their aim to prohibit alcohol while promoting child and family welfare. Sheppard soon became prominent in the area of women's suffrage, but her interest in the cause went beyond practical considerations regarding temperance. Her views were made well known with her statement that "all that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome." Sheppard proved to be a powerful speaker and a skilled organiser, quickly building support for her cause.
The WCTU NZ sent a deputation to Sir Julius Vogel, a member of parliament and former premier, asking him to introduce a suffrage bill to parliament. He did so in 1887, with the Female Suffrage Bill, and Sheppard campaigned for its support. In its third reading, the part dealing with women's suffrage was defeated by one vote, and the bill was withdrawn. During the general election campaign later that year Sheppard encouraged WCTU NZ members to ask parliamentary candidates questions about suffrage, but few women did so.
In 1888 Sheppard was President of the Christchurch branch of the WCTU NZ, and presented a report to the national convention in Dunedin, where the convention decided that prohibition and women's suffrage would be the organisation's central aims. Sheppard made public speeches on suffrage in Dunedin, Oamaru, and Christchurch, developing a confident speaking style. To reinforce her message, she gave audiences leaflets produced in Britain and the United States. Sheppard then published her own single-sheet pamphlet titled Ten Reasons Why the Women of New Zealand Should Vote, which displayed her "dry wit and logical approach". A copy was sent to every member of the House of Representatives.
Petitions The government introduced an Electoral Bill in 1888 that would continue to exclude women from suffrage, and Sheppard organised a petition requesting that the exclusion be removed. She wrote to, and later met with, Sir John Hall, a well-respected Canterbury member of the House of Representatives, inviting him to present the petition and support her cause. He did so, but no action resulted. Sheppard then produced a second pamphlet, Should Women Vote?, which presented statements on suffrage from notable people in New Zealand and overseas. The Electoral Bill was delayed until 1890, when on 5 August, Hall proposed a motion "That in the opinion of the House, the right of voting for members of the House of Representatives should be extended to women." After vigorous debate, this was passed 37 votes to 11. On 21 August, Hall moved an amendment to the Electoral Bill to give women suffrage, but it was defeated by seven votes.