Caroline Selina Ganley, CBE, JP (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Blumfield; 16 September 1879 – 3 August 1966) was an English Labour and Co-operative Party politician.

Early life

Ganley was born on 16 September 1879 in East Stonehouse,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, the daughter of a James Blumfield, a bombardier in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, and Selina Mary Blumfield.

Political career

She became politically active in opposition to the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, declaring herself a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaig ...

, and joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, Jame ...

that year. She actively supported

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to gran ...

and helped set up what would become the

Women's Labour League The Women's Labour League (WLL) was a pressure organisation, founded in London in 1906, to promote the political representation of women in parliament and local bodies. The idea was first suggested by Mary Macpherson, a linguist and journalist who ...

branch in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batte ...

. She became involved in the British Committee of the International Congress for Peace and Freedom in 1914. A letter she wrote to the ''

Sunday Chronicle The ''Sunday Chronicle'' was a newspaper in the United Kingdom, published from 1885 to 1955. The newspaper was founded in Manchester by Edward Hulton in August 1885. He was known for his sporting coverage, already publishing the '' Sporting Chr ...

'' meant that the wives of servicemen received their allowances through the Post Office. In 1919, Ganley was one of three women elected to Battersea Council. Ganley was a school manager and governor, becoming a Justice of the Peace in 1920, one of London's first female

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

s after the

Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It became law when it received Royal Assent on 23 December 1919.''Oliver & Boyd's new Edinburgh almanac and national repository for the year 1921''. p. 213 ...

came into force. She joined the Labour and Co-operative Parties and served on Battersea Council from 1919 to 1925, where she chaired the Health and Child Welfare Committee. She later sat on

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

(from 1925 to 29 and 1934 to 37), and was a member of the London County Education Committee. She unsuccessfully contested the Paddington North seat at the 1935 general election. At the 1945 general election, Ganley was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for Battersea South. Her maiden speech dealt with national health care, and during her time in Parliament she helped to establish the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. She narrowly held the seat in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

but was defeated by

Ernest Partridge Ernest Partridge (10 August 1895 – 20 April 1974) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. At the 1951 general election he was elected Member of Parliament for the marginal Battersea South constituency, gaining the seat ...

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

. Ganley was elected a director of the West London Co-operative Society in 1918 and served on the board of its successor, the

London Co-operative Society The London Co-operative Society (LCS) was a consumer co-operative society in the United Kingdom. History The Society was formed in September 1920 by the amalgamation of the Stratford Co-operative Society and the Edmonton Co-operative Society, ...

for many years and as president from 1942 to 1946 as its first woman president. She held national positions in the

Women's Co-operative Guild The Co-operative Women's Guild was an auxiliary organisation of the co-operative movement in the United Kingdom which promoted women in co-operative structures and provided social and other services to its members. History The guild was founded ...

and was one of the speakers at its

diamond jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

celebrations at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in 1943. She was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1953. She returned to Battersea Council from 1953 to 1965. A Battersea Society

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

commemorating her was unveiled in 2018 on the house she and her husband lived at in

Personal life

Ganley married tailor's cutter James Ganley in July 1901, with whom she had two sons and one daughter.

References

From Kitchen Table to Conference Table: Caroline Selina Ganley
Archive Awareness Month 2007; accessed 10 January 2009.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ganley, Caroline 1879 births 1966 deaths Politicians from Plymouth, Devon Members of London County Council Councillors in the London Borough of Wandsworth Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Labour Co-operative MPs for English constituencies Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 Members of Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council Place of death missing English justices of the peace 20th-century British women politicians Women councillors in England Co-operative Women's Guild