Bessie Spencer

Spencer in 1945

Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer OBE (16 November 1872 – 23 October 1955) was a notable New Zealand school principal, orchardist and community leader. She was born in Napier, New Zealand, in 1872.^[1]

Spencer founded the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes in 1921, being inspired to do so after attending a craft exhibition in London in 1919.^[2]

In the 1937 New Year Honours, Spencer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for social welfare services.^[3][4]

In February 2021 a bronze statue of Spencer was unveiled in Napier.^[5]

References

1. Upton, Susan. "Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
2. "New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes | NZHistory, New Zealand history online".
3. "New year honours: New Zealand list". Wairarapa Daily Times. 1 February 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
4. "No. 34365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1937. p. 698.
5. "Napier's Bessie Spencer - the remarkable "forward thinking proto-feminist" who founded our Women's Institutes".