Bessie Spencer
Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer | |
|---|---|
 Spencer in 1945 | |
| Born | November 16, 1872 Napier, New Zealand |
| Died | October 23, 1955 (aged 82) |
| Occupations | School principal, orchardist, community leader |
| Known for | Founder of the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes |
| Honors | Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1937) |
Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer OBE (16 November 1872 – 23 October 1955) was a notable New Zealand school principal, orchardist and community leader. She was born in Napier, New Zealand, in 1872.[1]
Spencer founded the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes in 1921, being inspired to do so after attending a craft exhibition in London in 1919.[2]
In the 1937 New Year Honours, Spencer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for social welfare services.[3][4]
In February 2021 a bronze statue of Spencer was unveiled in Napier.[5]
References
- ^ Upton, Susan. "Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ "New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes | NZHistory, New Zealand history online".
- ^ "New year honours: New Zealand list". Wairarapa Daily Times. 1 February 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "No. 34365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1937. p. 698.
- ^ "Napier's Bessie Spencer – the remarkable "forward thinking proto-feminist" who founded our Women's Institutes".