Selina Jane Cooper (née Coombe; 4 December 1864 – 11 November 1946) was an English

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 vo ...

and the first woman to represent the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

(ILP) in 1901 when she was elected as a

Poor Law Guardian Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

Early life

Selina Cooper was born Selina Coombe in

Callington, Cornwall Callington () is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston. Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had increased to 5,7 ...

, in 1864, the sixth of seven surviving children of Charles Coombe, railway labourer (and later railway subcontractor) and Jane Coombe (née Uren), dressmaker. She moved to

Barnoldswick Barnoldswick (pronounced ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle, Lancashire, England. It lies within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic West Riding of Yorkshire, West Ri ...

when she was a child, after her father died of typhoid in 1876. In the same year, aged 12, she began working in the local textile mills at Barnoldswick. She left school at the age of thirteen and started work full-time in the mills.

Trade union and political activities

Cooper became active in trade union activities and took practical courses in laundry, hygiene and first aid and became a member of the Barnoldswick St John's Ambulance Committee in 1895. She was an early member of the

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

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, James ...

(SDF), and later founded a branch of the party in Brierfield. She joined the

Women's Co-operative Guild The Co-operative Women's Guild, founded in 1883, was an auxiliary organisation of the co-operative movement in the United Kingdom that promoted women in co-operative structures and provided social and other services to its members. History The ...

in 1897 and the North of England Society for Women's Suffrage in 1900. In 1901, Cooper was elected to the

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...

, as a joint SDF-ILP candidate. She became frustrated with the SDF's lack of interest in the suffrage movement, and moved away from the party, becoming a full-time organiser for the suffrage movement. In 1910 she was chosen to be one of four women to present the case for women's suffrage to

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928) was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916. He was the last ...

, who was then

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. In the provinces she with

Ada Nield Chew Ada Nield Chew (28 January 1870 – 27 December 1945) was a British campaigning socialist, writer and suffragist. Her name is on the plinth of Millicent Fawcett's statue in Parliament Square, London. Early life Nield was born on a White Hall ...

and Margaret Aldersley were experienced labour activists in Lancashire. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Cooper developed the first ever Maternity Centre in

Nelson, Lancashire Nelson is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, it had a population of 29,135 in the 2011 Census. Nelson is north of Burnley and south-west of Colne. Nelson developed as a mill town ...

. She was later elected to the town council and went on to become a local magistrate. She resigned from the Labour Party in the 1930s due to her belief that the party did not take a strong enough line against fascism.

Recognition

Selina Cooper's house at 59 St Mary's Street, Nelson is marked with a heritage

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

. In 2015, she was the subject of a play by the Function Factory theatre in Nelson titled "Hard-Faced Woman".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Selina 1864 births 1946 deaths People from Barnoldswick People from Callington, Cornwall English suffragists Social Democratic Federation members Co-operative Women's Guild English justices of the peace