Ivy Evelyn Annie (Drury) Wedgwood DBE (1896 - 1975)

Born 18 Oct 1896 in Malvern, Victoria (Australia)

Wife of Jack Kearns Wedgwood MSM — married 1921 in Victoria, Australia

Died 24 Jul 1975 at age 78 in Toorak, Victoria, Australia

Biography

Ivy (Drury) Wedgwood DBE is Notable.

Dame Ivy Wedgwood DBE was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Victoria from 1950 to 1971, representing the Liberal Party. She was the first woman to represent Victoria in the Senate and the first woman to chair a select committee.

Ivy (Drury) Wedgwood DBE was born in the Colony of Victoria (1851-1900)

Ivy Evelyn Annie Drury was born on 18th October 1896 in Malvern, eight kilometres south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, Victoria (Australia). She was the elder of two daughters of Victorian-born parents Albert Drury, a dairy farmer, and his wife Elizabeth Evans. She was raised on the family dairy at Flemington.

Following her graduation from secondary school, Ivy obtained work from 1914 to 1921 as a clerk specialising in confidential correspondence, and later an accountant, with the Melbourne clothing manufacturing and wholesale firm of Paterson, Laing and Bruce.

Ivy married Jack Wedgwood MSM, a Woodend, Victoria motor mechanic and disabled war veteran, on 7th October 1921 in St Thomas' Church of England (now Anglican Church), Essendon. ^[1] The Wedgwoods initially set up house in [WoodendWoodend], mid-way between Melbourne and Bendigo, moving back to Essendon by 1927. The couple would have no children. Jack would later become an executive of General Motors-Holden’s Ltd.

Ivy began working as private secretary for Stanley Melbourne Bruce, the general manager of the firm and, later, Prime Minister of Australia. During this time she developed an interest in politics. She joined the Australian Women's National League (AWNL), an organisation dedicated to opposing socialism, supporting the monarchy, and protecting the interests of women and children. At its peak the AWNL was the largest women's political organisation in Australia, and provided valuable electoral backing for selected candidates of the National, United Australia and Liberal parties. Along with other former AWNL members, Ivy was prominent in the Liberal Party of Australia, becoming a vice-president of the party's Victorian division.

Between 1943 and 1947, Ivy resumed paid employment as a saleswoman in the ladies’ suit department of the Myer Emporium in Bourke Street, Melbourne.

On 10th December 1949 Ivy was elected to the Senate, the third woman to enter the chamber and the first from Victoria. She gave her first speech in the Senate on 8th March 1950. She was re-elected in 1951, 1953, 1958 and 1964; serving in the governments of Menzies, Holt, McEwen and Gorton. Although she never achieved ministerial office, she played an important part in the formulation of government policy in the areas of health, welfare and repatriation. She was a member of the House Committee (1950-55, 1965-68), the Joint Committee of Public Accounts (1955-71), and the joint select committees on the new and permanent Parliament House (1965-71). She was Government Whip from 1951 until 1966. Outside parliament, Ivy served variously as president of the Australian Council of Domiciliary Nursing, honorary treasurer of the Royal District Nursing Service, president of the After-Care Hospital in Melbourne, president of the Women Justices' Association and special magistrate in the Children's Court, Melbourne.

In the Queen's Birthday Honours 1967 Ivy was created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for 'distinguished services to parliament and the community'.

She retired from the Senate on 30th June 1971, having held office for twenty-one and a half years.

Aged 78 years, Dame Wedgwood passed away on 24th July 1975 in her Toorak apartment, Victoria. ^[2] She was survived by her husband Jack.

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #10402/1921
2. ↑ Victoria Death Index #17615/1975

See also

• Scobie, Doug. 'Wedgwood, Dame Ivy Evelyn Annie (1896–1975)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 2002; accessed online 17 May 2023.
• Millar, Ann. 'WEDGWOOD, DAME IVY EVELYN ANNIE (1896–1975) SENATOR FOR VICTORIA, 1950–71 (LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA). The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate; accessed 17 May 2023.
• Wikipedia: 'Ivy Wedgwood'; accessed 17 May 2023.