Mary Rogers (politician)
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Mary Rogers | |
|---|---|
| Councillor of the City of Richmond | |
| In office 5 November 1920 – August 1925 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Skeahan 2 August 1872 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 25 September 1932 Richmond, Victoria, Australia |
| Resting place | Boroondara General Cemetery |
| Political party | Labor |
| Spouse | Patrick Rogers (died 1910) |
| Children | 5 |
Mary Catherine Rogers (born Mary Skeahan, 2 August 1872 − 25 September 1932) was an Australian magistrate, trade unionist, and the first woman elected to local government in Victoria.
Rogers was raised in East Melbourne, and attended a local Catholic school. She married Patrick Denis Rogers in 1900 and had five children, although one died in infancy.[1]
After her husband died in 1910, Rogers initially worked as a cleaner, before being appointed secretary, then president, of the Women Office Cleaners' Union, and later vice-president of the Miscellaneous Workers' Union.[1][2]
Political career
Rogers became an organiser for the Australian Labor Party in 1918, serving as secretary of the party's North Richmond branch for several years.
On 5 November 1920, she was elected to Richmond City Council at a by-election, becoming he first woman elected to local government in Victoria, and the second in Australia (after Susan Benny).[3]
Rogers was re-elected unopposed in 1922. In 1925, she became a member of the council's finance and legislative committee, but was at the elections in August later that year.[2]
