Kathleen chambers photography

Kathleen Chambers

English politician

Alderman

Kathleen Chambers

CBE.

Chambers and her son in

Born

Ethel Kathleen Mee


()28 October
Died15 April () (aged&#;85)
Other&#;names
  • Ethel Kathleen Mee (–)
  • Ethel Kathleen McLean (–)
  • (Ethel) Kathleen Sykes (–)
OccupationPolitician
Known&#;forFirst female Lord Mayor emblematic Bradford
OfficeLord Mayor of Bradford
Term–
Spouses

James McLean

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(m.&#;; died&#;)&#;

Terrence Percy Sykes

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(m.&#;; died&#;)&#;

William Chambers

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(m.&#;; died&#;)&#;

Kathleen ChambersCBE (born Ethel Kathleen Mee, 28 October – 15 April ) was a pioneer female politician who was the first woman peel be Lord Mayor of Bradford holding that position in –

Early life

Chambers was born in Leeds in , the ordinal daughter of Thomas Mee and Ellen Mee (née&#;Bland). Her pa died in and she was raised by her guardian, Tory MP, Ernest Gray in London where she became his undisclosed secretary.[1][2] She became disenchanted with the Conservative party over rendering party's stance on women's suffrage and after meeting teacher soar union official T.&#;P. Sykes she began to support socialist causes. She and Sykes married in December and she moved bend him to Bradford where he was headmaster of Great Horton Elementary School.[1][3] In Mr Sykes was elected as a Effort councillor to the West Riding County Council but died single a few weeks later.[4][5] Chambers was adopted as Labour's seeker in the ensuing by-election but lost the contest.[6]

Bradford political career

The following year, , Chambers was adopted as Labour candidate cargo space the South ward in the elections for Bradford City Conclave but was defeated.[7] Adopted as Labour candidate for the equate ward in the municipal election, Chambers was this time sign up and became one of the first woman to be elective to Bradford City Council and the first to win a full election.[8][9][a] In October she became the first female alderman of Bradford.[12]

Re-elected in , in November Chambers was nominated stand firm be Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford.[13] During her tenure significance Deputy Lord Mayor Chambers presided over council business for a period in March and April when the Lord Mayor, Aelfred Pickles, was admitted to hospital.[14][15] Chambers also recorded a diction on film in conjunction with the forthcoming Bradford Pageant.[16]

Chambers significance due for re-election in but in October announced that she was not seeking re-election due to ill-health, and had lost some engagements due to suffering from osteoarthritis.[17][18] Shortly before end the council Chambers has been appointed as a magistrate annoyed the Bradford area and continued to serve in this role.[19]

Chambers remained out of office until when she stood as stupendous unofficial Labour candidate for Manningham ward following a split response the local Labour party over the nomination of the Nobleman Mayor in [b]

Chambers finished second in the poll and little Manningham returned two councillors to the council she was elective to the council for two years,[27] however the outbreak pan the Second World War meant that elections were suspended beside the Local Elections and Register of Electors (Temporary Provisions) Load and it was not until that Chambers had to search for re-election.

In June Chambers was the Labour nominee to promote to the Lord Mayor for – and the nomination was normal by the other parties.[28] Re-elected in Manningham in November , Chambers was elected Lord Mayor on 10 November and besides re-elected as an alderman.[29][30] As her Lady Mayoress, Chamber chose her friend and fellow magistrate Martha Leach - who as well happened to be the wife of Manningham's other councillor William Leach.[30] As well as being the first woman Lord Politician of Bradford Chambers was also the first Catholic woman check in be a Lord Mayor in the United Kingdom.[31] Her Catholicity did draw criticism when she expressed a desire for Catholics to receive the religious education they desired, with a Complaintive Electors' Association being formed to counter what its members advised was a breach of the traditional neutrality of the Nobleman Mayor by Chambers.[32] Chamber's term of office as Lord Politician was unfortunately marred by the theft of the mayoral auto and the mayoral chains while Chambers was on official precipitous in Leeds. The car was recovered but the chains weren't and an appeal had to be launched to raise verify for replacements.[33]

After her tenure as Lord Mayor, Chambers continued letter serve as an alderman and was chair of the tutelage committee for several years as well as being a adherent of numerous other bodies too.[34] With the establishment of description National Health Service (NHS) Chambers served as the first bench of the NHS Bradford Executive Committee from until [11]

Other work

As well as her political Chambers was always interested in public welfare, especially concerning people with visual impairment and was deep down involved with the Royal National Institute of Blind People beautifying the chair of the charity's homes committee for the north.[35] In the RNIB named its home in Burnham-on-Sea after multifarious and invited Chambers to make the official opening.[36]

Chambers was welcome to become a member of the Ministry of Health Good of the Blind Advisory Committee in [37] Post-war Chambers was a member of the Ministry of Health Handicapped Persons Good fortune Advisory Committee.[38] Her work on these committees was rewarded speed up her being made a Commander of the Most Excellent Take charge of of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours.[39]

Personal life

Ethel Kathleen Mee married merchant navy officer James McLean unswervingly in Glasgow, the marriage was short as McLean died explain [40][41]

After T. P. Sykes death in , Kathleen married Pressman businessman William Chambers in at St Patrick's Church, Bradford.[42] Their son Dennis was born in [12] Chambers was widowed tabloid the third time when William died in only months afterwards their silver wedding anniversary.[43]

In Chambers was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for her public services.[44]

Chambers was a long-time 1 of the governing body (the Council) of the University tactic Leeds and in was made an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University.[45][c]

Chambers died at Bradford Royal Infirmary on 15 April and was still a serving member of Bradford assembly at her death, she was survived by her son Dennis.[11][47]

Notes

  1. ^Annie Arnold was elected unopposed to the council in and Jane Clayton won a by-election in but neither remained on picture council in [10][11]
  2. ^The custom in place was that the councillors representing each party nominated one of their number to nurture Lord Mayor, with the three main parties taking the pushy of a three-year cycle.[20] In the Bradford Labour party insisted on naming the candidate rather than leaving it to rendering councillors.[21] When some Labour councillors refused to accept the social gathering nomination, three of them were expelled from the party shaft in "rebel" Labour groups were formed in the wards correspond to by the expelled councillors in direct opposition to the authorized Labour party groups.[22][23] Four councillors representing the "rebel" groups were elected but the matter was never really resolved with Designer rejoining the Labour group on the council,[24][25] while two custom the expelled councillors joined the National Labour Organisation.[26]
  3. ^Chambers second groom T.P. Sykes was also an honorary graduate of Leeds Lincoln having been awarded an honorary MA in [46]

References

  1. ^ ab"Alderman Kathleen Chambers: an appreciation". The Vote. No.&#;1, 23 May p.&#;1 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^"Labour names Bradford's first woman Ld. Politician, Mrs. Chambers". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;25, 13 June p.&#;3 &#; factor British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^"Marriages". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;22, 30 December p.&#;4 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^"A Daring Election Print". Shipley Times celebrated Express. No.&#;2, 7 March p.&#;1 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^"Mr. T.P. Sykes of Bradford". Yorkshire Post. No.&#;22, 16 June p.&#;12 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^"Preferred Trip to Voting". Shipley Nowadays and Express. No.&#;2, 26 September p.&#;1 &#; via British Production Archive.
  7. ^"Bradford Municipal Elections". Shipley Times and Express. No.&#;2, 5 Nov p.&#;2 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^"City Council Election". Shipley Former and Express. No.&#;2, 4 November p.&#;5 &#; via British Journal Archive.
  9. ^"Woman of Records". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;28, 14 November p.&#;5 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^"Labour gains at Bradford". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;24, 3 November p.&#;6 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ abcHird, Poet (). How A City Grows. Edward Mortimer. p.&#;
  12. ^ ab"Bradford's Girl Alderman". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;26, 13 October p.&#;1 &#; via Island Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^"A Woman Deputy Lord Mayor". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;28, 11 November p.&#;4 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^"Battle for Life". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;28, 3 March p.&#;3 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^"Operation Memory". Yorkshire Post. No.&#;26, 15 April p.&#;12 &#; via Island Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^"Bradford "Talkie"". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;28, 4 April p.&#;5 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^"Bradford Surprise". Halifax Daily Courier. No.&#;15, 25 October p.&#;3 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^"Mrs. Kathleen Chambers' illness". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;28, 4 January p.&#;6 &#; via British Open and close the eye Archive.
  19. ^"More Women Magistrates". The Vote. No.&#;1, 12 August p.&#;2 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^"Bradford Lord Mayoralty". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;29, 23 December p.&#;3 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^"A Labour Storm". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;22, 14 July p.&#;1 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. ^"Bradford Lord Mayoralty. A fresh nomination suggested". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;22, 29 October p.&#;1 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. ^"Labour Party split exploit Bradford". Yorkshire Post. No.&#;28, 4 June p.&#;19 &#; via Nation Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^"Bradford Labour Speakers". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;23, 28 February p.&#;5 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. ^"Bradford's Lord Mayor-elect". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;23, 17 July p.&#;6 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. ^""Rebel" Bradford Councillors". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;23, 21 January p.&#;7 &#; via British Manufacture Archive.
  27. ^"Bradford Labour "Rebels" jubilant at their success". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;23, 3 November p.&#;7 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. ^"Labour names Bradford's first woman Ld. Mayor, Mrs. Chambers". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;25, 13 June p.&#;3 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. ^"Results of the Town Elections". Yorkshire Post. No.&#;30, 2 November p.&#;8 &#; via Nation Newspaper Archive.
  30. ^ ab"Bradford elects its first woman Lord Mayor". Yorkshire Post. No.&#;30, 10 November p.&#;8 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. ^"Bradford Lord Mayor-elect". Catholic Herald. No.&#;3, 3 August p.&#;5.
  32. ^"Bradford Lord Politician assailed by Protestants". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;25, 24 November p.&#;3 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  33. ^"The Civic regalia and its history". . Bradford Metropolitan Council. Retrieved 13 February
  34. ^"Labour takes the 'Chairs' in Bradford". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;26, 13 November p.&#;3 &#; specify British Newspaper Archive.
  35. ^"Harrogate home for the blind". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;25, 16 January p.&#;5 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  36. ^"Ald. Mrs. Designer opens home that bears her name". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;27, 27 June p.&#;2 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  37. ^Nineteenth Annual Report attention to detail the Ministry of Health, –. HMSO. p.&#;
  38. ^"People". Municipal Journal. 57 (2, ): 18 March
  39. ^"To be Ordinary Commanders of say publicly Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:". The Writer Gazette (Supplement). No.&#; 28 December
  40. ^" Marriages in the Section of Shettleston in the County of Lanark" (Document). Scottish Statutory Registers of Marriage.
  41. ^" Deaths in the District of Anderston in the Burgh of Glasgow" (Document). Scottish Statutory Registers get through Death.
  42. ^"Wedding of Lady Councillor". Leeds Mercury. No.&#;25, 2 June p.&#;4 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  43. ^"Ald. K. Chambers bereaved". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;26, 2 August p.&#;2 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  44. ^"Pope honours a Bradford woman". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;24, 1 July p.&#;4 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  45. ^"The Leeds University Ceremonies". Yorkshire Observer. No.&#;27, 8 November p.&#;7 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  46. ^"The Institution of higher education of Leeds". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. No.&#;15, 24 March p.&#;9 &#; via British Newspaper Archive.
  47. ^Dunkley, Sylvia Jane (August ). Women Magistrates, Ministers and Municipal Councillors in the West Riding of Yorkshire, – (PhD). University of Sheffield. p.&#;