Eleanor May Moore (10 March 1875 – 1 October 1949) was an Australian pacifist. Moore was also a feminist.[1] She was involved in the peace movement as a member of the Sisterhood of International Peace (SIP), which later became part of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).[2]

Eleanor May Moore
Born(1875-03-10)10 March 1875
Died1 October 1949(1949-10-01) (aged 74)
EducationPresbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
OrganizationWomen's International League for Peace and Freedom (previously Sisterhood of International Peace)
Titleinternational secretary
Movement

Biography

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Early life

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Moore was born in Lancefield, Victoria.[3] She attended the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne, where she edited the school paper and trained as a stenographer.[1]

Career

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Moore's family were members of the Australian Church, founded by pacifist and preacher, Charles Strong.[1] After Strong formed the Sisterhood of International Peace (SIP) in 1915, Moore joined, becoming the international secretary.[2] She represented the SIP in May 1919 at the International Women's Congress in Zurich.[2] Later, when the SIP became the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Moore continued working as the secretary and was involved in the group until her death.[2] Moore represented WILPF at the Pan-Pacific Union Women's conferences at Honolulu in 1928 and 1930.[2]

Moore was against using war to solve conflicts; she said: "I know that, however long the fight continues, in the end it must be settled by negotiation."[4] Moore chose not to marry and cared for her parents who lived to be 91 and 96.[1] She worked on a book, The Quest for Peace, finishing it in 1949.[2]

Death and legacy

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Moore died in Toorak, Victoria on 1 October 1949.[2]

She was posthumously inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2008.[5]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Rivett, Kenneth (1993). "Quiet Dissenter: The Life and Thoughts of an Australian Pacifist, Eleanor May Moore, 1875-1949". Social Alternatives. 12 (3): 55–56. Retrieved 8 March 2016 via EBSCO.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colligan, Mimi; Suanders, Malcolm (1986). "Moore, Eleanor May (1875-1949)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  3. Stone, Caitlin (2014). "Moore, Eleanor May". The Encyclopedia of Women & Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Australian Women's Archives Project. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. Hamel-Green, Michael. "Women's Groups Opposition to Conscription". Australian Living Peace Museum. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. "Eleanor Moore". State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
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