Eleanor Kathleen Goodrich

OBE 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 ...

(1888 – 1988) was a British politician and activist. Born in Clapton, as Eleanor Kathleen Harslett, her father was a stage manager, and both of her parents were close friends with

Herbert Morrison Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, (3 January 1888 – 6 March 1965) was a British politician who held a variety of senior positions in the UK Cabinet as member of the Labour Party. During the inter-war period, he was Mini ...

. She became a suffragette and a teacher, active in the

National Union of Women Teachers The National Union of Women Teachers (NUWT) was a trade union representing women schoolteachers in Great Britain. It originated in 1904 as a campaign for equal pay for equal work, and dissolved in 1961, when this was achieved. History Women te ...

. In 1934, Goodrich was elected for the Labour Party to the council of the

Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth The Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth was a Metropolitan borough under the London County Council, from 1900 to 1965. History The borough was formed from five civil parishes: Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth. In 1904 t ...

, one of the first party members to win a seat in the borough. She won a seat in Balham and Tooting at the

1946 London County Council election An election to the County Council of London took place on 7 March 1946. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having two votes in the two-member seats. The Labour Party once more made gains, again increasing their ma ...

. From 1947 until 1949, she also served as Mayor of Wandsworth, the first woman from the Labour Party to hold the post. The Balham and Tooting constituency was abolished for the

1949 London County Council election An election to the County Council of London took place on 7 April 1949. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having three votes in the three-member seats. The Conservative Party made substantial gains, achieving the ...

, and Goodrich instead stood unsuccessfully in Wandsworth Central. Despite this defeat, she was appointed to serve on the council's education committee. In the

1951 New Year Honours The 1951 New Years Honours were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1951 for the Brit ...

, she was made an

Officer 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 ...

. Goodrich contested Wandsworth Central again at the

1952 London County Council election An election to the County Council of London took place on 3 April 1952. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having three votes in the three-member seats. The Labour Party made substantial gains and greatly increase ...

, winning a seat, but she lost it again in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. She was instead appointed as an

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 in 1958/1959, served as vice-chair of the council. In the late 1960s, Goodrich helped establish the

Putney Arts Theatre Putney Arts Theatre ("PAT") is based in Putney, in the London Borough of Wandsworth and operates as a community space specialising in theatre productions. The Putney Arts Theatre stands in the Union Chapel built by Sir Samuel Morton Peto in ...

in its long-term venue. She died in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodrich, Eleanor 1888 births 1988 deaths English suffragettes English trade unionists Mayors of places in Greater London Members of London County Council People from the London Borough of Hackney