Cossey, Alice Eleanor (1879–1970)

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Cossey, Alice Eleanor (1879–1970)

New Zealand tailor and union leader. Born Nov 8, 1879, at Drury, Auckland, New Zealand; died Mar 14, 1970, at Drury; dau. of Solomon Cossey (shoemaker) and Martha Bragg (Martin) Cossey.

Successful labor organizer and activist who advocated for higher wages and equal working conditions for women; one of 1st professional female unionists in New Zealand; became secretary of Auckland Tailoresses' Union (ATU, 1917); administered ATU for 38 years without involving it in a strike; made justice of peace (1931).

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

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