Robina Fordyce Cowper (18 August 1866 – 3 August 1948) was an Australian women's rights activist, magistrate and temperance advocate.[1]

Robina Fordyce Cowper
Born
Robina Inglis

(1866-08-18)18 August 1866
Sandridge, Port Melbourne
Died3 August 1948(1948-08-03) (aged 81)
Parramatta
NationalityAustralian
Occupation(s)Temperance activist, magistrate, church worker

Early life

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Cowper was the eldest of twelve children born to Mary (née Fordyce) and John Inglis. She was educated at Clarendon College, Ballarat.[1] In 1884 she matriculated from the University of Melbourne in the Modern Languages class.[2]

Marriage

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On 10 January 1891 she married Charles William Cowper. Her father officiated at the ceremony.[3] Robina and Charles had one daughter, Mary Inglis Cowper (known as May) who was born in 1892 and died aged 3 years and 8 months, in 1895.[4]

Activism

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Cowper campaigned for more women in the police force, and for the inclusion of women in church leadership.[5]

Cowper was an active member of the Collins Street Independent Church and was the first woman on the executive of the Congregational Union committee. She was also a founding member of executive of the Congregational Women's Association.[6]

In 1928, Cowper was appointed as a special magistrate of the Children's Court, Melbourne.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Head, Alison, "Cowper, Robina Fordyce (1866-1948)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 4 March 2021
  2. ^ "THE UNIVERSITY". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 17 January 1885. p. 43. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Family Notices". Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954). 10 January 1891. p. 11. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Family Notices". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946). 9 November 1895. p. 45. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  5. ^ Victorian Women's Trust. "Women in the Life of the City" (PDF).
  6. ^ a b Melbourne, National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of. "Cowper, Robina Fordyce - Woman - The Australian Women's Register". www.womenaustralia.info. Retrieved 4 March 2021.