Introduction
Dame Grace Hilda Cuthbertha Ross DBE (née Nixon, 6 July 1883 – 6 March 1959), known as Hilda Ross, was a New Zealand politician for the National Party and an activist.
Early years
She was born at Auckland to Adam Nixon and Zillah Johnson. Her family lived in both Sydney and Auckland, and she received her education in these cities. She trained as a music teacher and later conducted the Hamilton City Choral Operatic Society.
Family
In 1904 she married Harry Campbell Manchester Ross (died 1940) in Auckland. Her husband founded a furnishing company, "Barton and Ross". They had four sons, two of whom died in infancy.
Political career
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1945–1946 | 27th | Hamilton | National | |
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Hamilton | National | |
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Hamilton | National | |
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Hamilton | National | |
| 1954–1957 | 31st | Hamilton | National | |
| 1957–1959 | 32nd | Hamilton | National | |
Her first elected posts were the Waikato Hospital Board (1941) and the Hamilton Borough Council (1944). She was Deputy Mayor of Hamilton in 1945. Following the death of the incumbent MP for Hamilton, Frank Findlay, she won the 1945 by-election to represent the electorate in the New Zealand Parliament, where she remained until her death 14 years later in 1959. As MP she held various posts in the First National Government, including Member of the Executive Council (1949–1957), Minister of Social Security (1957), Minister of Welfare of Women and Children (1949–1957), and Minister of Child Welfare (1954–1957).
Later life
She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. She died on 6 March 1959 in Hamilton.
Quote
- "Married women with children should wake up to their responsibilities in the home and stay at home".
Legacy
- Dame Hilda Ross Memorial Arts Centre & Dame Hilda Ross Memorial Arts Centre Appeal