In 1883, Harriet Williams Russell Strong—a graduate of Miss Mary Atkin’s Young Ladies Seminary, mother of four, and recent widow—became the sole owner of a California ranch on the brink of financial ruin. Her will to learn saved her ranch and led to several patents. Later, her advocacy to Congress would forever change how water is managed in the western United States.
Irish republican
Irish teacher and politician
Irish socialist, feminist and human rights campaigner
Ida Halley became a medical inspector of schools in Tasmania (1906) and from 1910 held a similar position in Sydney where she lectured on hygiene at the Teachers’ College. In 1913 she established the medical branch of the Education Department in South Australia.
Georgina Sweet was Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Melbourne 1920-1924. Her research included the zoology of Australian native animals and the parasites infesting Australian stock and native fauna.
Elizabeth Hedge Webster (1822-1897) was a supporter of women’s suffrage and the author of Clover Blossoms, a book of essays and short pieces, published in 1880.
A Republican from Essex County, she was one of the first two women elected to the New Jersey Assembly after women were granted the right to vote in 1920.
Joan Rosanove battled prejudice against women in the Australian legal profession, and represented women who otherwise wouldn’t have had access to representation.
Frances Holden was Lady Superintendent of the Hospital for Sick Children, Sydney from 1880 to 1887, during which time she published works on medicine and nursing training as well as verse and prose.