Allan Glaisyer Minns (1858 – 16 September 1930) was a medical doctor, and the first black man to become a mayor in Britain.

Life

Born in the Inagua district of the Bahamas, Minns was one of the nine children of John Minns (1811–1863) and Ophelia ( Bunch, 1817 – 1902) and their youngest son. His grandfather, also called John Minns, had emigrated about 1801 from England to the Bahamas, where he married Rosette, a former African slave. Minns was educated at

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

Grammar School and Guy's Hospital in London. He was registered with the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

on 14 February 1884; his qualifications were MRCS (1881), and LRCP (1884). He was based in Thetford from 1885 until 1923, when he moved to

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

where he died. His eldest brother, Pembroke Minns (1840–1912), was already in medical practice in Thetford when he moved there. In 1903 Minns was elected to the town council of Thetford, Norfolk, and the next year was elected as mayor, serving two one-year terms as mayor. He was twice married; first to Emily Pearson (1859–1892) in 1888 and secondly to Gertrude Ann Morton in 1896. He had children by both wives. His son Allan Noel Minns (1891 – 1921), also a doctor, was one of the few black officers to serve in the British Army during the First World War. John Archer, elected mayor of

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

in 1913, had been thought to be the first black British mayor. However, in reporting Archer's election, the American ''Negro Year Book 1914'' (founded by Monroe Work) recorded that:

In 1904, Mr. , a colored man from the West Indies, was elected mayor of the borough of Thetford, Norfolk.

References

External links

*
Allan Glaisyer Minns: The First Black Mayor of a British Town
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minns, Allan Glaisyer 1858 births 1930 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English medical doctors Bahamian people of English descent Bahamian emigrants to England Black British politicians Black British people in health professions Mayors of places in Norfolk People from Inagua People from Thetford