Blackburn, Doris Amelia (1889 - 1970)

The second woman member of the House of Representatives, Doris Blackburn successfully won her late husband’s Federal seat of Bourke as an Independent Labor candidate in 1946. She was involved in the Free Kindergarten movement and numerous campaigns for better education, playgrounds and crèches. Blackburn was a member of the Women’s Political Association in Victoria, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the Women’s Prison Council and the Save the Children Fund. In 1957, with Doug Nicholls, she was a co-founder of the Aboriginal Advancement League and the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement.

• Horden, Doris (maiden name, 18 September 1889 - 10 December 1914)

Events

1911	Attended her first meeting of the Women's Political Association
1913	Acted as campaign secretary for Vida Goldstein
10 December 1914	Married Maurice McCrae Blackburn (died 1944), they were to have 2 sons and a daughter
1916 - 1917	With her husband she was an anti-conscription campaigner
1946 - 1950	Member House of Representatives (Independent) for Bourke, Victoria
1948	President of the Council for Civil Liberties
1952	Travelled overseas as an emissary of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
1957	Co-founded the Aboriginal Advancement League with Doug Nicholls

Member

• Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria (1908 - )
• Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Australia Section) (1919 - )
• Women's Political Association of Victoria (1903 - 1919)

Membership

• The Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Victoria (1885 - )

Related People

• Goldstein, Vida (1869 - 1949)

  Blackburn acted as campaign secretary

  [1913 - ]

Book Sections

• Grahame, Emma, 'Blackburn, Doris', in Caine, Barbara (ed.), Australian feminism : a companion, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Vic., 1988, p. 391. [ Details... ]
• Rasmussen, Carolyn, 'Blackburn, Doris Amelia (1889-1970)', in Ritchie, John (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 13, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic., pp. 191-192. [ Details... ]
• Rasmussen, Carolyn, 'Doris Blackburn MHR: Radical Representative', in Lake, Marilyn and Kelly, Farley (eds), Double time : women in Victoria - 150 years, Penguin, Ringwood, Vic., 1985, pp. 353-363. [ Details... ]

See also

• Lake, Marilyn and Kelly, Farley (eds), Double Time: Women in Victoria - 150 Years, Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood (Vic.), 1985, 476 pp. [ Details... ]
• Legge, J S (ed.), Who's who in Australia 1968, The Herald and Weekly Times, Melbourne, 1968, 956 pp. [ Details... ]