Wilson, Helen Mary (1869–1957)

views updated

Wilson, Helen Mary (1869–1957)

New Zealand teacher, farmer, union activist, and writer. Name variations: Helen Mary Ostler. Born May 4, 1869, at Oamaru, New Zealand; died April 16, 1957, in Hamilton, New Zealand; dau. of William Henry Ostler (runholder) and Emma Brignell (Roberts) Ostler; m. Charles Kendall Wilson (politician), 1892 (died 1934); children: 2 daughters, 1 son.

Helped husband run family farm (1890s); became active in Women's Division of New Zealand Farmers' Union (WDFU); made justice of peace (1939); wrote novels, Moonshine (1930s) and Land of My Children (1955), and well-received autobiography, My First Eighty Years (1950).

See also Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (Vol. 3).

About this article

Wilson, Helen Mary (1869–1957)

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article