Cecily Mary Cook (1889/90–1962) was an English left-wing political activist. She worked for 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 Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

(ILP) and the

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

Career

Little is known of Cecily Graves' early life, since she came from a poor background in London. Before World War I, she was involved with the suffragette movement. In 1920, she joined the

Earlsfield Earlsfield is an area within the London Borough of Wandsworth, London, England. It is a typical London suburb and comprises mostly residential Victorian terraced houses with a high street of shops, bars, and restaurants between Garratt Lane, All ...

branch in London. She worked for the

(ILP), compiling political notes for speakers and MPs. She also supported Clement Attlee as chief woman worker when he stood for Parliament in 1922 and 1923, later standing herself as a council of London member in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

in 1925, representing the Co-operative Women's Guild. After the ILP split away from the Labour Party in 1932, Cook left the party. Between 1933 and 1938 she worked at the Co-operative Women's Guild's head office. She later held the post of General Secretary from 1940 until she retired in 1953 and she became President of the International Women's Guild. She attended the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's rights organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington, D.C., wit ...

in London in 1952. In 1948, Cook received 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 ...

Personal life

Cook married Herbert G. N. Cook in 1909. They had a son together, who died at the age of 19. After her husband died, Cook cohabited with Arthur Thomas Hagg, an artist. She died at the

Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital is a district general and teaching hospital of UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences. Located in Upper Holloway, it is managed by Whittington Health NHS Trust, operating as Whittin ...

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

on 28 June 1962 and was cremated at

Golders Green crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

on 3 July 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Cecily People from London 1962 deaths Independent Labour Party politicians English suffragettes Golders Green Crematorium Co-operative Women's Guild