Jean Robinson (8 December 1899 – 5 November 1987) was the first female mayor of

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, serving from 1968 to 1969, after having been a member of the town council for 14 years. Born in

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

, Robinson's mother died in 1907, and her father left in 1909, leaving the children to look after themselves. At the age of 12, Robinson began working in a

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...

, later becoming a weaver. In 1934, due to unemployment, she moved with her husband to

. There, they set up a stall in the Abingdon Street Market, and Robinson devoted her spare time to the Labour Party and the co-operative movement. She also became active in the

Workers' Educational Association Workers' Educational Associations (WEA) are not-for-profit bodies that deliver further education to adults in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. WEA UK WEA UK, founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult edu ...

, and in the

Soroptimist Soroptimist International (SI) , founded in 1921, is a global volunteer service for women with almost 66,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Soroptimist International also offers Associate Membership and E-Clubs. Soroptimist International h ...

movement. Robinson was elected to Blackpool Town Council in 1954, and in 1968 she became the first woman to serve as Mayor of Blackpool. During her year in office, she gave the welcome address at the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

, and both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences which were all held in the town in 1968. Following the end of her term of office, Robinson was appointed as a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. She later studied for O levels and A levels at college. In 2020, a plaque commemorating her was erected at the market.

References

1899 births 1987 deaths Labour Party (UK) councillors Mayors of places in Lancashire People from Blackpool Women mayors of places in England Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{England-politician-stub

See also

References