Patricia Grimshaw

Patricia Ann Grimshaw, (born 16 December 1938) is a retired Australian academic who specialised in women's and Indigenous peoples' history. One of her most influential works is Women's Suffrage in New Zealand, first published in 1972, which is considered the definitive work on the story of how New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the vote. She studied at the University of Auckland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1960 and a Master of Arts (MA) in 1963. and continues to be regarded as the definitive work on the story of the New Zealand women's suffrage campaign.

In 1965, Grimshaw and her husband moved to Melbourne and Grimshaw began her doctoral studies at the University of Melbourne with Greg Dening and Inga Clendinnen. From 1995 to 2000, Grimshaw was president of the International Federation for Research in Women's History, an organisation that she had co-founded.

In 1993, Grimshaw was named Max Crawford Professor of History and held this position until her retirement in 2006.

Since her retirement, she holds the title Emeritus Professor of History, and continues to work on historical projects such as The Australian Women's Register, and to deliver lectures at community events such as International Women's Day. From 2006 to 2010, she was a member of the Committee of the National Foundation for Australian Women.

In 2017 Grimshaw was awarded the University of Melbourne Award, which "recognises those individuals who have made an outstanding and enduring contribution to the University and its scholarly community". A bronze plaque honouring her is on the wall along the Professors' Walk at the Parkville campus of the university.

Legacy

The Patricia Grimshaw Awards for Mentor Excellence are awarded annually to staff at the University of Melbourne to recognise mentoring skills and behaviours. It was launched by the university in March 2008 "to honour her contribution as a mentor of postgraduate students and younger colleagues".