Lady Julia Maria Holder (née Stephens; 6 July 1856 – 19 May 1941) was an Australian philanthropist, stateswoman and suffragist.[1]
Julia Holder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President Australian Woman’s Christian Temperance Union | |
| In office 1912–1921 | |
| President South Australian Woman’s Christian Temperance Union | |
| In office 1902–1906 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 July 1856 Burra, South Australia |
| Died | 19 May 1941 (aged 84) St Peters, South Australia |
| Spouse | Frederick Holder |
Life
editJulia grew up in Burra, the daughter of John Riccardo Stephens, a Cornishman, homeopathic doctor, farmer, teacher, and shopkeeper who had studied for the Methodist ministry.[2] On 29 March 1877, at Burra, Holder married Frederick Holder, who was later a state and federal Member of Parliament, Premier of South Australia and first Speaker of the Australian Parliament.[3][1]
Public life and social activism
editLady Holder was president of many public bodies in Adelaide.[1] Holder was the National President (1912–1921) and South Australian State President (1902–1906) of the Australian Woman's Christian Temperance Union and a National President of the National Council of Women of Australia. Holder represented Australia at several WCTU world conferences, including the 1913 New York and the 1920 London.[2][4][5]
Death of husband
editOn 23 July 1909, her husband Frederick presided over the Australian Parliament in Melbourne, where he suffered a seizure in the House, later diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage, and died that same day.[6] Holder was told the news via telegram in Adelaide and took the afternoon express train from Adelaide to Melbourne as Holder wanted to ensure her husband’s body was returned to South Australia for burial, where he was granted a state funeral, which took place in Adelaide.[3]
Family
editHolder and her husband Frederick had four sons and three daughters:[7][1]
- Ethel Roby Holder MA (1878– )
- Rhoda Sims Holder (1880– )
- Frederick Stephens Holder (1882– )
- Winifred Breakspeare Holder (1886– )
- Evan Morecott Holder (1888– )
- Sydney Ernest Holder (1890– )
- Ruth Eliza Holder (1892– )
- Ida Margaret Holder (1894– )
References
edit- ^ a b c d "OBITUARY". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. C, no. 59. Tasmania, Australia. 20 May 1941. p. 6 (LATE NEWS EDITION). Retrieved 16 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Manning, Haydon. "Sir Frederick William Holder (1850-1909)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Death of Sir Frederick Holder". The Week. Vol. LXVIII, no. 1, 753. Queensland, Australia. 30 July 1909. p. 27. Retrieved 16 September 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ The Union Signal: A Journal of Social Welfare. University of Maryland, College Park: Woman's Christian Temperance Union. 1913. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Hunt, Arnold (1985). This side of heaven: a history of Methodism in South Australia. Adelaide: Lutheran Publishing House. ISBN 9780859103466. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ *Atchley, Chewton (1912). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ "Matrimonial Matters". The Gadfly. Vol. III, no. 126. South Australia. 8 July 1908. p. 10. Retrieved 13 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.