Hocken Digital Collections

Howard, Edwin John and Mabel : Papers

Details

Reference NumberARC-0441CreatorHoward, Edwin John, 1868-1939Howard, Mabel Bowden, Hon., 1894-1972DescriptionThe collection is divided into two parts - the papers of E.J. Howard and the papers of Mabel Howard. E.J. Howard's papers include diaries, extensive correspondence, election material and a large quantity of photographs. The papers relating to Mabel Howard are smaller, mainly due to the large quantity of material she destroyed during the last years of her life. Included is some correspondence, financial records, and many photographs.
Only a small part of this collection is digitised and available through Digital Collections. Information about other items can be found on the Hākena catalogue, through the Library Catalogues link above.History / BiographyEdwin John Howard, known familiarly as Ted Howard, was born at Bristol, England, on 18 June 1868. He was educated at Plymouth and at the age of 16 went to sea as an ordinary seaman in the Royal Navy. He married Harriett Garard Goring at Christchurch, New Zealand, on 12 February 1889 and in March 1891 jumped ship in Auckland, eventually joining his wife in Australia, where he worked for several years in the mining and metal industries.
Following Harriett Howard's death in 1903, Howard moved with his three daughters to Christchurch. There he became involved in the labour movement and in 1908 he was elected secretary to the Canterbury General Labourers' Union. By 1911 he was an important figure within the radical wing of the labour movement and he frequently contributed to the 'Maoriland Worker' under the pen-name 'The Vag'. He also wrote a column in the 'Maoriland Worker' under the pseudonym 'Uncle Ted'. In 1917 Howard was elected to the Christchurch City Council and in 1919 he became a member of parliament, winning the Christchurch South seat for the Labour Party. Howard served as Chairman of Committees in the first Labour government and remained in parliament until his death in 1939.
Mabel Bowden Howard, the daughter of Edwin John and Harriett Howard, was born at Bowden, South Australia, on 18 April 1894. She was educated at Christchurch Technical College and in 1911 went to work for the Canterbury General Labourers' Union, first as an office assistant and from 1933 as union secretary. At the same time she acted as an unpaid political assistant to her father.
In 1943 Mabel Howard won the Christchurch East seat for the Labour Party and she remained a member of parliament until 1969. In 1947 she became New Zealand's first woman cabinet minister, holding the portfolios of health and child welfare until Labour was removed from office in 1949. When the second Labour government was elected in 1957, Howard became Minister of Social Security, Minister in Charge of the Welfare of Women and Children, and Minister in Charge of the Child Welfare Department. She was also successful in securing the passage of the Animals Protection Act in 1960.
Known for her forthright style and colourful personality, Mabel Howard's last years were marked by a decline in her mental health. She died at Sunnyside Hospital, Christchurch, on 23 June 1972.

Photograph

Mabel Howard writing at her desk

Depicts Or Relates To

NamesHoward, Edwin John, 1868-1939Howard, Mabel Bowden, Hon., 1894-1972SubjectsPoliticiansNew Zealand - Politics and GovernmentTrade unions

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Howard, Edwin John and Mabel : Papers

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