May Jordan McConnel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
May Jordan McConnel
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_1860-1929,_circa_1890.jpg)
May Jordan McConnel, circa 1890
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| Born |
May Emma Jordan
6 September 1860 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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| Died | 28 April 1929 (aged 68) California, United States
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Trade unionist, Suffragist |
| Spouse(s) |
David Rose McConnel
(m. 1890) |
Mary Emma "May" Jordan McConnel (born 6 September 1860 – died 28 April 1929) was an important Australian woman. She was a trade unionist and a suffragist. This means she worked hard to improve conditions for workers and to get women the right to vote. She was the very first woman in Queensland to be paid for organizing trade unions.
Contents
May Jordan McConnel's Life and Work
Early Life and Training
May Emma Jordan was born in George Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, on 6 September 1860. Her father was Henry Jordan, a politician. Her mother was Elizabeth Jordan. May trained to be both a teacher and a nurse.
Fighting for Workers' Rights
May McConnel was very active in helping workers. She became the secretary of the Tailoresses' Union. This union helped women who worked as tailors. She also played a big part in starting the Brisbane Women's Union.
She was the treasurer of the Women's Equal Franchise Association. This group worked to give women the right to vote. May was also the first general secretary of the women's part of the Australian Labour Federation. In 1890, she started working for the Labour Federation as an organizer. This made her the first paid female trade union organizer in Queensland.
Family Life and Continued Work
In March 1890, May got engaged to David Rose McConnel. He was from Cressbrook Station. They got married on 24 December 1890, in Sherwood. May made it clear that she would keep working with the Labour Federation.
In February 1891, the Queensland Government asked her to join a special committee. This committee looked into working conditions in shops, factories, and workshops. May had several children. Sadly, some of her children passed away when they were very young. Her sons Frederic Jordan and David Ewen were born later. In March 1905, May worked to change laws about neglected children. She was a member of the Queensland Society for Prevention of Cruelty.
Moving Overseas and Helping Children
In 1910, May and her family moved away from Brisbane. They went to the United Kingdom and the United States. Before leaving, May gave her home, called Robgill, in Indooroopilly, to the Methodist Church. She wanted it to be used as a home for children or for other good causes.
Because of her donation, the Queen Alexandra Home for Children opened in 1910. It started with six children. In 1912, the children's home moved to a bigger property called Hatherton in Coorparoo.
Later Years
May Jordan McConnel died in California, United States, on 28 April 1929. Her husband, David, passed away later in Toowoomba in 1940.
A book called Great Queensland Women by Heather Grant, published in 2005, includes a story about May Jordan McConnel.
See also
In Spanish: May Jordan McConnel para niños
