Dorothy Tangney
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Dame Dorothy Tangney DBE |
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| Senator for Western Australia | |
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In office 21 August 1943 – 30 June 1968 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 March 1911 |
| Died | 1 June 1985 (aged 74) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
Dame Dorothy Margaret Tangney DBE (13 March 1911 – 1 June 1985) was an Australian politician and the first woman member of the Australian Senate.
Dorothy Tangney started her career as a school teacher in Perth, Western Australia. In the Australian federal election, 1940 she stood as a federal Senate candidate for the Australian Labor Party in Western Australia, and again in the Australian federal election, 1943, when she was the first woman elected to the Senate. She served in the Senate from 21 August 1943 to 30 June 1968. Her 25 years of service made her the longest-serving woman parliamentarian. Her record has since been surpassed by Kathy Sullivan. She was the last surviving member of the 1944-1947 Senate.
Senator Tangney was committed to an agenda of social reform, which included extending federal powers over social services and instituting Commonwealth assistance in education. Senate committees on which Senator Tangney served included the Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances and the Select Committee on the Development of Canberra, supporting the development of the Australian National University, and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Social Security.
In 1968 Tangney was the first woman born in Western Australia to be appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Her award was for her services to the Australian Parliament.
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