Marie Louise Emilienne Rochecouste OBE (20 September 1892 – 28 February 1979) was a Mauritian politician. In 1948 she became the first woman elected to the Legislative Council, serving until 1953.
Emilienne Rochecouste | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Council | |
| In office 1948–1953 | |
| Constituency | Plaines Wilhems–Black River |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 September 1892 |
| Died | 28 February 1979 (aged 86) Quatre Bornes, Mauritius |
| Political party | Independent |
| Occupation | School teacher |
Biography
editBorn Marie Louise Emilienne Orian in 1892 into a mixed-race Franco-Mauritian family, Rochecouste worked as a primary school teacher and headmistress.[1][2][3] She married Raphael Rochecouste in July 1916.[1] During World War II, their son Jean died while serving in the Royal Air Force.[4]
Rochecouste stood as an independent candidate in the six-seat Plaines Wilhems–Black River constituency in the August 1948 elections.[5] At an executive committee meeting held on 11 July, the Labour Party decided to support her candidacy despite being opposed to the concept of female suffrage.[3] She finished second in the vote, becoming the first woman elected to the Legislative Council. Following the elections, Denise De Chazal was appointed as a second female member.[3] She lost her seat in the 1953 elections, finishing twentieth out of thirty candidates.[6]
Rochecouste was appointed an OBE in the 1958 Birthday Honours. In the 1970s the government school in her hometown of Quatre Bornes was named after her.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Chit Geerjanand Dukhira (2002) History of Mauritius: Experiments in Democracy, p100
- ^ Susan Franceschet, Mona Lena Krook & Netina Tan (2018) The Palgrave Handbook of Women’s Political Rights p549
- ^ a b c Ramola Ramtohul (2009) Engendering Mauritian History: The HiddenControversies over Female Suffrage Afrika Zamani, No. 17, pp63–80
- ^ Jean Maxime Herve Rochecouste Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- ^ Sydney Selvon (2018) A New Comprehensive History of Mauritius, chapter 40
- ^ Results of the General Election for the Mauritius Legislative Council held on 26 August 1953 Electoral Commission
- ^ EMILIENNE ROCHECOUSTE GS: 24 élèves s’automutilent avec une lame de taille crayon Le Mauricien, 16 June 2011