Fanny Irvine-Smith

Fanny Louise Irvine-Smith (10 September 1878 – 20 December 1948) was a New Zealand teacher, lecturer and writer.

Early life Irvine-Smith was born in Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand on 10 September 1878. Her father Thomas Smith died in a shipping accident when she was six months old, and her mother Margaret (née Sproule) later remarried. She continued her secondary school education however and completed her studies in 1898. In 1901 she entered Victoria University College, continuing to also teach in schools in Hawkes Bay and Taranaki, until finally graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1908.

In 1920 Irvine-Smith returned to Victoria and completed a Master of Arts degree in History.

In 1947, Irvine-Smith successfully organised a petition to the Wellington City Council for a library to be established in the suburb of Khandallah.

Legacy

The Khandallah Library has a F.L. Irvine-Smith Memorial Collection, a collection of New Zealand works purchased with funds from the royalties of Irvine-Smith's book.