Background
McMillan was born at Kaiti, Gisborne, in 1904.
McMillan was born at Kaiti, Gisborne, in 1904.
She graduated with honours in history from the University of Otago in 1926.
She was very active in local affairs in Otago and was the first woman to be elected to Dunedin City Council. She was dux and prefect at Gisborne Girls" High School. She then taught at Nelson College for Girls for three years.
After their wedding on 4 September 1929 at Gisborne, they settled in Kurow, where he had worked as a locum and then purchased the medical practice.
He was cabinet minister for a year, but retired from Parliament in 1943 to concentrate on his medical practice. Gervan McMillan died from a heart disease in 1951, aged 46.
They also hosted Michael Joseph Savage, who in 1935 would become Prime Minister. McMillan stood in a 1953 by-election in the North Dunedin electorate that was caused by the death of Labour"s Robert Walls and was elected.
She continued to represent the electorate to 1963, and then Dunedin North from 1963 to 1975, when she retired.
Although she was a senior parliamentarian when Labour came to power in 1972, she was not appointed to cabinet due to her strained relation with Norman Kirk. She was known as the "Queen of Quiz" in Parliament for the numerous questions that she asked. McMillan had a distinguished local career in Dunedin.
She was the first woman to be elected onto Dunedin City Council in 1950 (the second woman was elected in 1970) and remained a councillor until 1980.
In 1960, she became the first New Zealand woman to be appointed a trustee to a savings bank. She chaired the local savings bank"s board from 1964.
She had governance roles with the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society, the Otago Museum Trust, and the New Zealand Library Association. She died on 13 August 1987.
Three short streets close to the University of Otago campus were renamed in 1993 (New Zealand women"s suffrage centenary year) to honour McMillan, Emily Siedeberg, and Ethel Benjamin.
During their time in Kurow, the McMillans had friendships and political discussions with their neighbours, Arnold Nordmeyer and Jerry Skinner. Both would become influential MPs for the Labour Party. Her husband had been involved with the Labour Party since 1923, and Ethel McMillan joined the party in about 1930.
She was a Member of Parliament for Dunedin electorates for 22 years, but despite her political seniority, was not appointed a cabinet minister.