Constance Cummings-John (1918 – 21 February 2000) was a

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

an educationist and politician. She was the first woman in Africa to join a municipal council and in 1966 became the first woman to serve as mayor of

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

, Sierra Leone. She was based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, for the latter part of her life.

Biography

Early years and education; London and New York

She was born Constance Agatha Horton into an influential Creole family, black migrants to West Africa from the Americas in the 18th century who by the 20th century had become intellectuals, business people, and members of the professions.

Hakim Adi Hakim Adi is a British historian and scholar who specializes in African affairs. He was the first African-British historian to become a professor of history in the UK when in 2015 he was appointed Professor of the History of Africa and the Afri ...

Marika Sherwood Marika Sherwood (8 November 1937 – 16 February 2025) was a Hungarian-born historian, researcher, educator and author based in England. She was a co-founder of the Black and Asian Studies Association and a pioneering researcher into the history ...

, ''Pan-African History: Political Figures from Africa and the Diaspora since 1787'' (2003, ), pp. 29–31. Her father, John William Horton (1861–1916), was city treasurer of Freetown, while her mother, Regina Horton, née Awoonor-Wilson, was a concert pianist. Constance herself went to

in 1935, aged 17, to train as a schoolteacher. While there, she joined the

West African Students' Union The West African Students' Union (WASU), founded in London, England, in 1925 and active into the 1960s,"History o ...

and the

League of Coloured Peoples The League of Coloured Peoples (LCP) was a British civil-rights organisation that was founded in 1931 in London by Jamaican-born physician and campaigner Harold Moody with the goal of racial equality around the world, a primary focus being on b ...

. Having gained her teaching certificate, she took up further studies in the United States at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. When she returned to London she joined the

International African Service Bureau The International African Service Bureau (IASB) was a pan-African organisation founded in London in 1937 by West Indians George Padmore, C. L. R. James, Amy Ashwood Garvey, T. Ras Makonnen and Kenyan nationalist Jomo Kenyatta and Sierra Leonean ...

, under the leadership of

George Padmore George Padmore (28 June 1903 – 23 September 1959), born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a leading Pan-Africanist, journalist, and author. He left his native Trinidad in 1924 to study medicine in the United States, where he also joined the C ...

, and married Ethnan Cummings-John, a radical lawyer. In 1937, she returned to Freetown as principal of the African Methodist Episcopal Girls' Industrial School, but her political activities caused her great problems with the British

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she established a mining company, which later became an important source of funds for her educational projects. Between 1946 and 1951, she lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where her brother Asadata Dafora Horton was a successful musician and dancer. While living in the US, she worked in hospitals and served on the executives of the American Council for African Education and the

Council on African Affairs The Council on African Affairs (CAA), until 1941 called the International Committee on African Affairs (ICAA), was a volunteer organization founded in 1937 in the United States. It emerged as the leading voice of anti-colonialism and Pan-Africanis ...

, the second of which was chaired by

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

Return to Freetown

On her return to Freetown in 1951, Cummings joined the

Sierra Leone People's Party The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. The SLPP d ...

. She helped found the Sierra Leone Women's Movement in 1951. She also founded a new school for girls, the Eleanor Roosevelt School, which by 1953 had more than 600 students. During these years, Cummings-John gained a licenciate from the London College of Preceptors, and in 1952 the Governor of Sierra Leone, Sir

George Beresford-Stooke Sir George Beresford-Stooke (3 January 1897 – 7 April 1983) – always known as "Toby" - was Chief Secretary to Northern Rhodesia, and later appointed Governor of Sierra Leone from September, 1947 until December 1952. Beginning Beresford-Stoo ...

, appointed her to the Freetown Council. At the general election of 1957 she was one of two women elected to the new

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, even though women did not yet have the franchise. The Krio-led opposition then successfully demanded the resignation of both women, but the next year Cummings-John was elected to the Freetown Municipal Council. In 1961, with the independence of Sierra Leone, Cummings-John's husband became the new country's ambassador to

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. In 1966, Prime Minister

Albert Margai Sir Albert Michael Margai (10 October 1910 – 18 December 1980) was the second prime minister of Sierra Leone and the half-brother of Sir Milton Margai, the country's first Prime Minister. He was also the father of Sierra Leonean politician ...

appointed her as Mayor of Freetown, in succession to

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...

, but she held the position for only a few months. Her party lost the general election of 1966, and there was then a successful

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

against the new government. Cummings-John was herself accused of financial corruption while outside the country and was advised not to return.

Political activity in London

She settled again in London, where she became an active member of the Labour Party and the

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nucl ...

and also a school governor. Cummings-John was a member of political organizations in the United Kingdom and the United States as well as in Sierra Leone, and she and

I. T. A. Wallace-Johnson Isaac Theophilus Akunna Wallace-Johnson (1894 – 10 May 1965) was a Sierra Leonean, British West African workers' leader, journalist, activist and politician, recognised as one of West Africa’s most influential anti-colonial figures. A voca ...

were the only Krio to fight for the participation of the indigenous "Protectorate peoples" in West African political processes. Her actions also led to the formation of the Sierra Leone Market Women's Union and a Washerwoman's Union. Despite unsuccessful attempts to return to Sierra Leone in 1974 and 1996, Cummings-John lived the rest of her life in London. In 1995, she published an autobiography, ''Memoirs Of A Krio Leader''. She died in London on 21 February 2000 at the age of 82.

Publications

*''Memoirs of a Krio Leader'' (Ibadan: Sam Bookman Educational, 1995).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings-John, Constance 1918 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Sierra Leonean women politicians 20th-century Sierra Leonean politicians Cornell University alumni Mayors of Freetown Sierra Leone Creole people Sierra Leonean city councillors Sierra Leonean educators Sierra Leonean expatriates in the United Kingdom Sierra Leonean expatriates in the United States Sierra Leonean people of Jamaican Maroon descent Women mayors of places in Sierra Leone