Kathleen Chambers
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Kathleen Chambers
CBE 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 ...
(born Ethel Kathleen Mee, 28 October 1879 – 15 April 1965) was a pioneer female politician who was the first woman to be Lord Mayor of Bradford holding that position in 1945–1946.


Early life

Chambers was born in Leeds in 1879, the third daughter of Thomas Mee and Ellen Mee (). Her father died in 1891 and she was raised by her guardian,
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MP,
Ernest Gray Sir Ernest Gray (27 August 1856 – 6 May 1932) was a British educational reformer and Conservative politician. Early life and educational work The son of William Gray, he attended primary school and St John's Training College, Battersea. On c ...
in London where she became his private secretary. She became disenchanted with the Conservative party over the party's stance on
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
and after meeting teacher and union official T. P. Sykes she began to support socialist causes. She and Sykes married in December 1911 and she moved with him to Bradford where he was headmaster of Great Horton Elementary School. In 1919 Mr Sykes was elected as a Labour councillor to the
West Riding County Council West Riding County Council (WRCC) was the county council of the administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1 April 1889 to 31 March 1974. The council met at County Hall in Wakefield. The county council had jurisdiction over the ...
but died only a few weeks later. Chambers was adopted as Labour's candidate in the ensuing by-election but lost the contest.


Bradford political career

The following year, 1920, Chambers was adopted as Labour candidate for the South ward in the elections for Bradford City Council but was defeated. Adopted as Labour candidate for the same
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
in the 1921 municipal election, Chambers was this time successful and became one of the first woman to be elected to Bradford City Council and the first to win a full election. In October 1924 she became the first female
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
of Bradford. Re-elected in 1927, in November 1930 Chambers was nominated to be Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford. During her tenure as Deputy Lord Mayor Chambers presided over council business for a period in March and April 1931 when the Lord Mayor, Alfred Pickles, was admitted to hospital. Chambers also recorded a speech on film in conjunction with the forthcoming Bradford Pageant. Chambers as due for re-election in 1932 but in October 1932 announced that she was not seeking re-election due to ill-health, and had missed some engagements due to suffering from
osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...
. Shortly before leaving the council Chambers has been appointed as a
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 judi ...
for the Bradford area and continued to serve in this role. Chambers remained out of office until 1937 when she stood as an unofficial Labour candidate for Manningham ward following a split in the local Labour party over the nomination of the Lord Mayor in 1936. Chambers finished second in the poll and as Manningham returned two councillors to the council she was elected to the council for two years, however the outbreak of 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 ...
meant that elections were suspended by the Local Elections and Register of Electors (Temporary Provisions) Act 1939 and it was not until 1945 that Chambers had to seek re-election. In June 1945 Chambers was the Labour nominee to be the Lord Mayor for 1945–1946 and the nomination was agreed by the other parties. Re-elected in Manningham in November 1945, Chambers was elected Lord Mayor on 10 November and also re-elected as an alderman. As her Lady Mayoress, Chamber chose her friend and fellow magistrate Martha Leach - who also happened to be the wife of Manningham's other councillor William Leach. As well as being the first woman Lord Mayor of Bradford Chambers was also the first Catholic woman to be a Lord Mayor in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Her Catholicism did draw criticism when she expressed a desire for Catholics to receive the religious education they desired, with a Protestant Electors' Association being formed to counter what its members considered was a breach of the traditional neutrality of the Lord Mayor by Chambers. Chamber's term of office as Lord Mayor was unfortunately marred by the theft of the mayoral car and the mayoral chains while Chambers was on official business in Leeds. The car was recovered but the chains weren't and an appeal had to be launched to raise funds for replacements. After her tenure as Lord Mayor, Chambers continued to serve as an alderman and was chair of the education committee for several years as well as being a member of numerous other bodies too. With the establishment of the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
(NHS) Chambers served as the first chair of the NHS Bradford Executive Committee from 1947 until 1964.


Other work

As well as her political Chambers was always interested in social welfare, especially concerning people with visual impairment and was deeply involved with the
Royal National Institute of Blind People RNIB (formally, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and previously the Royal National Institute for the Blind) is a British charity, founded in 1868, that serves people living with visual impairments. It is regarded as a leader in th ...
becoming the chair of the charity's homes committee for the north. In 1953 the RNIB named its home in
Burnham-on-Sea Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside town in Somerset, England, at the mouth of the River Parrett, upon Bridgwater Bay. Burnham was a small fishing village until the late 18th century when it began to grow because of its popularity as a seaside resort. ...
after her and invited Chambers to make the official opening. Chambers was invited to become a member of the Ministry of Health Welfare of the Blind Advisory Committee in 1937. Post-war Chambers was a member of the Ministry of Health Handicapped Persons Welfare Advisory Committee. Her work on these committees was rewarded with her being made a
Commander of the Most Excellent 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 ...
(CBE) in the
1952 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1952 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire and Commonwealth. They were announced on 1 January 1952 for the British Empire, Austr ...
.


Personal life

Ethel Kathleen Mee married merchant navy officer James McLean in 1898 in Glasgow, the marriage was short as McLean died in 1904. After T. P. Sykes death in 1919, Kathleen married Bradford businessman William Chambers in 1922 at
St Patrick's Church, Bradford St Patrick's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built from 1852 to 1853 and designed by George Goldie. It is situated on the corner of Sedgfield Terrace and Westgate in the city centre. To the south a ...
. Their son Dennis was born in 1924. Chambers was widowed for the third time when William died in 1947 only months after their silver wedding anniversary. In 1941 Chambers was awarded the
Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XII ...
for her public services. Chambers was a long-time member of the governing body (the Council) of the
University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...
and in 1951 was made an honorary
Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
by the University. Chambers died at Bradford Royal Infirmary on 15 April 1965 and was still a serving member of Bradford council at her death, she was survived by her son Dennis.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Kathleen 1879 births 1965 deaths Politicians from Leeds Mayors of Bradford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Women mayors of places in England 20th-century English politicians 20th-century English women politicians