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Mary Isabel Fraser

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Mary Isabel Fraser
Portrait of Mary Isabel Fraser (1863-1942) in 1910.
Portrait of Mary Isabel Fraser
in 1910 (aged 47).
Born(1863-03-20)March 20, 1863
DiedApril 18, 1942(1942-04-18) (aged 79)
EducationMA in Physics (1889).[1]
Alma materUniversity of Otago
Occupations
  • Teacher
  • school principal
  • educationalist
Years active1890 ~ 1921
Known forGirls' education,
Kiwifruit culture.
TitleLady principal of Whanganui Girls' College (1894-1910), of Iona College (1914-1921).[1]
MovementFeminism.[1]
SpouseNever married.[1]

Mary Isabel Fraser (20 March 1863 – 18 April 1942) was a New Zealand teacher, school principal and educationalist.

Throughout her career as a teacher and then as a school principal, she was a strong advocate for girls' education.[1][2]

She is also known for having introduced, after returning from a trip to Yichang in China, the first kiwifruit seeds in New Zealand, in 1904.[1][2] This allowed nurseryman Alexander Allison to grow plants from these seeds,[2] and it was from this experience that the worldwide kiwifruit industry developed.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Payne, Judith. "Mary Isabel Fraser". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ferguson, Allan Ross (5 February 2004). Written at Milton Park, England (UK). Taylor & Francis (ed.). "1904—The year that kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) came to New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science (N. Z. J. Crop Hortic. Sci.). 32 (1). Wellington: The Royal Society of New Zealand: 3–27. Bibcode:2004NZJCH..32....3F. doi:10.1080/01140671.2004.9514276. eISSN 1175-8783. ISSN 0114-0671.