Guide to the Papers of Millicent Preston-Stanley
MS 9062
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Millicent Preston-Stanley
- Title
- Papers of Millicent Preston-Stanley
- Date Range
- 1925-1950
- Collection Number
- MS 9062
- Extent
- 0.42 metres (3 boxes)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection contains New South Wales election campaign material of Preston-Stanley, newspaper articles, biographical information, unpublished novels written by Preston-Stanley (1930-50), as well as two copies of the play, Whose Child, which was performed at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney in 1932. A folder of correspondence regarding the establishment of a film company, Quality Pictures Limited, is also included and a number of manuscripts of Crawford Vaughan's novels, The last of Captain Bligh, (1950) and Golden wattle time, (1942).
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1420505).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Millicent Preston-Stanley, National Library of Australia, MS 9062, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Provenance
The papers of Millicent Preston-Stanley were donated to the National Library by Ms Diana Pearce in 1996.
Biographical Note
Millicent Preston-Stanley was a politician and feminist. She was born on 9 September 1883 in Sydney and lived there until her death in 1955. Throughout her life she was involved in a number of women's organisations, such as the Feminist Club of which she was President from 1919-34 and 1952-55.
In 1925 Preston-Stanley became the first female member of the NSW Legislative Assembly, representing the Eastern Suburbs. During this time she campaigned on maternal mortality, reform in child welfare, amendments to the Health Act and better housing. She held her seat until 1927.
She was the Australian delegate to America for the British-American Co-operation Movement in 1936 and undertook a lecture tour of America in 1937-38. In 1947 she was involved in the organisation, United Women Citizens' Movement against Socialisation formed to oppose the Chifley government's attempt to nationalise Australian banking.
She married Crawford Vaughan, company director and former Premier of South Australia, in Sydney in 1934.
See: The Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1891-1939, Vol. 11, pp. 285-286.
Item Descriptions
Political career, 1925-50 (File 1) - Box 1
File containing New South Wales election campaign pamphlets of Preston- Stanley when she contested the 1925 state election, biographical information regarding her career in politics, her involvement in women's issues and the British-American Co-operation Movement.
Also includes an article written by Preston-Stanley in The United Australia Review, March 1, 1939, "Carrie Chapman Catt: the great suffrage leader of USA" and one letter from Mrs Dwight D. Eisenhower (1952).
In addition, newspaper cuttings, pamphlets discussing the Chifley Government's intention of nationalising the Australian banking system.
Manuscript of short story, 'The other woman', 15p.unpublished.
Newspaper cuttings, 1925-47.
Contains newspaper cuttings from 1925-30 written by Preston-Stanley regarding women in parliament and notable women in history (File 2) - Box 1
Contains press cuttings and election pamphlets, 1925-27. These articles are predominantly about Preston-Stanley (File 3) - Box 1
Writings, 1932-45 (File 4-7) - Box 1, 2, 3
Manuscripts of Preston-Stanley's play, Whose Child, 1931-32, 68p.
Two copies of the manuscript of 'Return to Carthage', 1943 (unpublished), 470p.
Synopsis and two copies of 'Husbands on parade' (unpublished), 274p.
Manuscript of 'Conquest' or 'Rivers of gold' (unpublished), 93p.