Dame Catherine Reeve Hunt (''née'' Hawkins; 22 December 1854 – 18 October 1948) was an English politician and activist who was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, in 1924–25. Hunt was born in 1854, the daughter of Charles Henry Hawkins, of Maitlands, Colchester and Sarah Jane, daughter of John Bawtree, of

Abberton, Essex Abberton is a village in Essex, England. It is located approximately east of Abberton Reservoir and is south of Colchester. The village is in the borough of Colchester and in the parliamentary constituency of North Essex. The town is served by ...

. Her father was mayor of Colchester four times (1848–49, 1865–66, 1870–71, 1871–72). She married Dr Edgar Atlee Hunt, her aunt's widower, in 1896. Hunt and his first wife, Charlotte Mary Bawtree, were the grandparents of actress

Elizabeth Inglis Elizabeth Inglis (born Desiree Mary Lucy Hawkins, July 10, 1913 – August 25, 2007), also known as Elizabeth Earl, was an English actress, known for her role in '' The Letter''. Early life Inglis was born Desiree Mary Lucy Hawkins in Colchester ...

and great-grandparents of American actress

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...

. She was a member of Colchester's Town Council from 1918 to 1934, elected its first female

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

, and served as Colchester's second female

in 1924. For many years she served as chairman of the Colchester branch of the

Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyo ...

and the Colchester Local War Pensions Committee. For these services she was appointed

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(DBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours.

Footnotes

1854 births 1948 deaths Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Women mayors of places in England Mayors of Colchester British women in World War I {{England-mayor-stub