It's a rural electorate, held by Tania Rattray and named after Margaret Edgeworth McIntyre - the first woman elected to the Tasmanian parliament.

However, Margaret actually represented the old urban seat of Cornwall, which included most of West Tamar and part of Launceston.

It was abolished in 1999 when the Legislative Council was reduced from 19 to 15 seats.

Born in 1886, Margaret was the eldest daughter of Lady Caroline and Professor Sir Edgeworth David, a geologist. She married Dr William McIntyre MC - who co-invented the humidicrib while working at Launceston's Queen Victoria Hospital.

Following her mother's example Margaret became famous for her voluntary work, including as State Commissioner for the Girl Guides and setting up the Brooks Community School - now Brooks High.

She was on the Board of the Queen Victoria Hospital and many other organisations, such as the ABC Advisory Committee and the National Fitness Council.

In the 1948 New Year Honours list, Margaret was awarded an OBE for her community service. Shortly after, she was persuaded to stand for the Upper House seat of Cornwall, and decided to do so as an independent.

She was easily elected, defeating the sitting Labor member Mr Robinson, despite only 16,000 of the 80,000 Tasmanian women of voting age being eligible to vote in Upper House elections.

She took up her seat on June 29, immediately making her presence felt - refusing to block supply to the Cosgrove Labor government and pushing to extend women's suffrage.

When Premier Cosgrove called an election for the Assembly, Margaret took the opportunity to attend the biennial conference of the National Council of Women in Brisbane.

She made the news there by calling on the federal government to block construction of luxury hotels to allow more materials and labour to go into family housing, of which there was a huge shortage after the war.

On September 2, 1948, in order to have time to see her ailing 92-year-old mother in Sydney on the way home, she uncharacteristically took a commercial flight rather than the train.

It crashed south of Tamworth, killing all on board.

An enquiry afterwards found that the plane was at least 150km off course. In bad weather the plane was flying low, with its compass affected by nearby lightning.

Their maps were inaccurate and the navigational signals from a government radio station were found to be defective. Ten passengers and three crew died.

In Margaret's memory, members of the Girl Guide Association throughout Australia raised funds to purchase William Barnes' former home in Park St, Launceston.

It was used for many years as a northern base for the Girl Guide movement and as a home for young women from country areas, before being sold in 2003 for $655,000.