Eva Hartree (née Rayner) (24 December 1873 – 9 September 1947) was the first woman to be Mayor of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

, in 1924–25.

Early life

Hartree was born Eva Rayner in Stockport in 1873, the daughter of a Jewish doctor, Edwin Rayner and his wife Isabella. Hartree read natural history at

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college statu ...

from 1892, completing

tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

in 1895, but not graduating as women did not then proceed to graduation. Also in 1895 she married William Hartree, a lecturer in engineering. She was a

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

(not a more militant

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

Civic career

Hartree was a Borough Councillor from 1921 to 1927, during which time she was the first woman to be Mayor of

in 1924–25. As a result of suffering from

Graves' disease Graves' disease (german: Morbus Basedow), also known as toxic diffuse goiter, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It also often results in an enlarged thyr ...

, she had a short period off the council, but was again a Councillor from 1929 to 1943. Hartree was President of the

National Council of Women of Great Britain The National Council of Women exists to co-ordinate the voluntary efforts of women across Great Britain. Founded as the National Union of Women Workers, it said that it would "promote sympathy of thought and purpose among the women of Great Brita ...

in 1933. After her husband died in 1943, she resigned from the council and moved to London, to work with refugees.

Personal life

The Hartrees had six children, only two of whom survived beyond infancy, and only one of those two to adulthood. The surviving son was

Douglas Rayner Hartree Douglas Rayner Hartree (27 March 1897 – 12 February 1958) was an English mathematician and physicist most famous for the development of numerical analysis and its application to the Hartree–Fock equations of atomic physics and the c ...

, who became Plummer Professor of Mathematical Physics. Her niece through her brother Edwin, (who became a senior figure at the National Physical Laboratory) was geologist Dorothy Helen Rayner. The Hartrees lived at 21 Bentley Road, Trumpington. During the time after William Hartree died and Eva Hartree lived in London, the house was occupied by the scientist

John Baker John Baker or Jon Baker may refer to: Military figures *John Baker (American Revolutionary War) (1731–1787), American Revolutionary War hero, for whom Baker County, Georgia was named *John Baker (RAF officer) (1897–1978), British air marshal ...

. Her husband died in 1943, and Hartree herself died in 1947.

Legacy

The Clay Farm community centre in Trumpington has an Eva Hartree Hall. Her photographic portrait in mayoral robes by

Olive Edis Mary Olive Edis, later Edis-Galsworthy (3 September 1876 – 28 December 1955), was a British photographer and successful businesswoman who, throughout her career, owned several studios in London and East Anglia. Known primarily for her studio ...

is held by the National Portrait Gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartree, Eva 1873 births 1947 deaths Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Councillors in Cambridgeshire Mayors of Cambridge British social reformers Women mayors of places in England Presidents of the National Council of Women of Great Britain 20th-century English women 20th-century English people Women councillors in England