Robina Fordyce Cowper (18 August 1866 – 3 August 1948) was an Australian women's rights activist, magistrate and temperance advocate.[1]
Robina Fordyce Cowper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robina Inglis 18 August 1866 Sandridge, Port Melbourne |
| Died | 3 August 1948 (aged 81) Parramatta |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Temperance activist, magistrate, church worker |
Early life
editCowper was the eldest of twelve children born to Mary (née Fordyce) and John Inglis. She was educated at Clarendon College, Ballarat.[1] In 1884 she matriculated from the University of Melbourne in the Modern Languages class.[2]
Marriage
editOn 10 January 1891 she married Charles William Cowper. Her father officiated at the ceremony.[3] Robina and Charles had one daughter, Mary Inglis Cowper (known as May) who was born in 1892 and died aged 3 years and 8 months, in 1895.[4]
Activism
editCowper campaigned for more women in the police force, and for the inclusion of women in church leadership.[5]
Cowper was an active member of the Collins Street Independent Church and was the first woman on the executive of the Congregational Union committee. She was also a founding member of executive of the Congregational Women's Association.[6]
In 1928, Cowper was appointed as a special magistrate of the Children's Court, Melbourne.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Head, Alison, "Cowper, Robina Fordyce (1866-1948)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 4 March 2021
- ^ "THE UNIVERSITY". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 17 January 1885. p. 43. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "Family Notices". Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954). 10 January 1891. p. 11. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "Family Notices". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 9 November 1895. p. 45. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Victorian Women's Trust. "Women in the Life of the City" (PDF).
- ^ a b Melbourne, National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of. "Cowper, Robina Fordyce - Woman - The Australian Women's Register". www.womenaustralia.info. Retrieved 4 March 2021.