Esme Tombleson
Encyclopedia
Esme Irene Tombleson, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

, QSO
Queen's Service Order
The Queen's Service Order was established by Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, awarded by the government of New Zealand "for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or...

 (1 August 1917 – 30 July 2010) was a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 politician of the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

.

Early life

She was born and educated in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 in 1917, and was involved in various ballet, opera and theatre companies. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 she served in the Women's Auxiliary Signalling Corps in Sydney. She came to New Zealand in 1951 when she married a Gisborne farmer.

Political career

She represented the Gisborne electorate
Gisborne (New Zealand electorate)
-Population Centres:The electorate is based on the city of Gisborne.-History:The electorate existed from 1908 to 1996, when it was replaced by the Mahia electorate, which was renamed East Coast from 2002.-Election results:Key -External links:...

 from 1960
New Zealand general election, 1960
The 1960 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 33rd term. It saw the governing Labour Party defeated by the National Party, putting an end to the short second Labour government.-Background:...

 to 1972, when she was defeated by Trevor Davey
Trevor Davey
Trevor Davey is a former Member of Parliament for Gisborne in the North Island of New Zealand.-Member of Parliament:Trevor Davey represented the Gisborne electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives between 1972 and 1975...

.

In 1961 she was one of ten National MPs to vote with the Opposition and remove capital punishment
Capital punishment in New Zealand
Capital punishment in New Zealand first appeared in a codified form when New Zealand became a British territory in 1840, and was first employed in 1842. It was last used in 1957, abolished for murder in 1961, and abolished altogether, including for treason, in 1989. During the period that it was in...

 for murder from the Crimes Bill that the Second National Government
Second National Government of New Zealand
The Second National Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1960 to 1972. It was a conservative government which sought mainly to preserve the economic prosperity and general stability of the early 1960s...

had introduced.

Later life

She was awarded a QSO in 1977, and a CBE. She died on 30 July 2010.
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