Jessie Street
A tireless Australian diplomat and feminist who fought for women's rights at home and helped draft the UN charter on the world stage.
1889–1970 (age 81)·Australian activist·Birthday: April 18·The Lost Generation
Biography
Jessie Street was a force of nature in a pearls and suit. Born into immense privilege, she dedicated her life to overturning injustice. She was a key campaigner in the final push for Australian women's suffrage, achieved in her home state of New South Wales in 1918. Never one to rest, she co-founded the United Associations of Women, pushing for economic equality, and became a fierce advocate for Aboriginal rights. Her internationalist vision led her to the founding of the United Nations in 1945, where she was the only Australian woman in the delegation and instrumental in ensuring the phrase 'the equal rights of men and women' was included in the UN Charter's preamble. Her sympathetic view of the Soviet Union earned her the nickname 'Red Jessie,' but her true allegiance was to a universal idea of human rights.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Jessie was born in 1889, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jessie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1889
Jessie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1889Born
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1902Became a teenager
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Could drive
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could vote
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Turned 21
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 30
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 40
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 50
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 60
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 70
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 80
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1970Died at 81
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
Key Achievements
- The only Australian woman delegate to the founding UN conference in San Francisco in 1945.
- Co-founded the United Associations of Women in 1929, a major feminist lobbying group.
- Led the successful campaign for women's suffrage in New South Wales in 1918.
- Founded the Australian Russian Society and organized the 'Sheepskins for Russia' campaign during WWII.
Did You Know?
She was one of only two Australians to attend Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's funeral in 1953.
She was a talented tennis player, competing at Wimbledon in 1913.
Her autobiography is titled 'Truth or Repose.'
She was the great-aunt of former British Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer.
“I have always been a rebel against the unnecessary and artificial restrictions placed on women.”
