Margaret Semple

Margaret Semple JP (née McNair, 1876–3 September 1967) was a New Zealand socialist and local politician. She was married to Bob Semple, a Labour Party Cabinet Minister.

Margaret Semple JP
Wellington City Councillor
In office 11 May 1938 – 17 May 1941
Constituency	At-large
Personal details
Born	1876 Bluff, New Zealand
Died	3 September 1967 Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Bob Semple
Children	4

Biography

Early life

Margaret was born in 1876 to Thomas and Agnes McNair who both emigrated from Lanarkshire, Scotland to Otago, New Zealand.[1] Her mother died in 1887 after which her father took the family to Victoria, Australia.[2] Margaret married Bob Semple, a coal miner and unionist, at Outtrim, Victoria, on 27 June 1898. She gave birth to their first child a year later. The Semples initially lived in Western Australia, but when Margaret fell sick, they had to return to Victoria.[3] She was friends with Margaret Thorn who labelled her a "capable woman" referring to how she almost solely raised her children whilst her husband was away on union or political matters. Thorn recalled a story where a girl accidentally cut off two of her fingers only for Semple to sew them back on with thread for a full recovery.[4]

Political career

Semple served as president of the Wellington women's branch of the Labour Party, and was a member of the party national executive from 1930 to 1943.[5] Semple was elected as a Wellington City Councillor in 1938.[6] She lost her seat in 1941, an election which saw all Labour councillors unseated.[7] She was also a long serving member of the Hospital Board, sitting on it from 1933 until 1941.[8] Historians have argued that her own political contributions between the 1910s and 1940s were considerable, though heavily overshadowed by her husband's, who himself seldom acknowledged her efforts in any depth.[9][10]

Semple died in 1967 aged 91, Bob had died in 1955. She was survived by her four children, 8 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchildren.[1]

Notes

1. "Wife of former M.P. dies". The Dominion. 6 September 1967. p. 6.
2. Hickey 2010, p. 34.
3. Richardson, Len. "Semple, Robert". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
4. Hickey 2010, p. 144.
5. "Who's Who for the Elections". The Evening Post. CXXV (107). 9 May 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
6. "Wellington City Council". The Evening Post. CXXV (115). 18 May 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
7. "New City Council". The Evening Post. CXXXI (116). 19 May 1941. p. 9. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
8. Hickey 2010, pp. 297-8.
9. Stace, Hilary (1998). "Janet Fraser - Making Policy as Well as Tea". In Clark, Margaret (ed.). Peter Fraser: Master Politician. Dunmore Press. pp. 57–66.
10. Hickey 2010, p. 298.

References

• Hickey, Carina (2010). From Coal Pit to Leather Pit: Life Stories of Robert Semple (PDF) (Ph.D.). Massey University. Retrieved 17 March 2015.