Ivy Wedgwood

Dame Ivy Evelyn Annie Wedgwood, (née Drury; 18 October 1896 – 24 July 1975) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Victoria from 1950 to 1971, representing the Liberal Party. She was the first woman to represent Victoria in the Senate and the first woman to chair a select committee.

Early life Ivy Evelyn Annie Drury was born in Melbourne, the older of two daughters born to Elizabeth (née Evans) and Albert Drury; her father worked as a dairyman. She grew up in the suburb of Flemington, attending the local state school. After leaving school, she worked as a secretary for Paterson, Laing and Bruce, a clothing company. Her manager there was Stanley Bruce, a future Prime Minister of Australia. She later worked as an accountant for H. P. Launder, an import firm, and as a saleswoman for Myer, a department store. On 7 October 1921, she married Jack Kearns Wedgwood, a mechanic and ex-serviceman who became an executive at Holden. They initially settled in Woodend, but later moved to Essendon.

Politics Early involvement Wedgwood joined the Australian Women's National League (AWNL) in the 1920s, and eventually won election to its federal executive. The league eventually resolved to merge into the new party, but only after securing a number of concessions towards female representation. In Victoria, half of the positions in the party's organisational wing were reserved for women. Wedgwood became a prominent figure in the early years of the Victorian Liberal Party, initially as a member of various committees and later as a party vice-president and head of its women's section. She also represented Victoria on the Federal Executive and as a delegate to the Federal Council.

In the Senate, Wedgwood was a prominent advocate for women's interests. She frequently raised the issue of equal pay for equal work, and pressed for the appointment of more women to the boards of government agencies and state-run enterprises.

Community work and later life Wedgwood was made a special magistrate of the Children's Court of Victoria in 1945, and the following year was nominated as a justice of the peace. She died at her Toorak apartment on 24 July 1975, aged 78.