Grace Bannister (''née'' Johnson; 1924–1986) was a
Unionist politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. She was the first female Lord Mayor of Belfast.
Early life and education
Bannister was born in the
Ravenhill area of
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
into a Protestant family, the second child of William H. Collim and Grace Johnston.
She had an older sister and three younger brothers. Her grandfather owned a bakery, where her father worked. She was educated Roslyn Street primary school and Park Parade but left school at age 14 in order to work in the family shop. During the Second World War, she and her siblings were taken out of the city to Ballydrain after a landmine was discovered. To help the war effort, she went to work at
Mackie's making parts for
Stirling bombers.
In 1948, she married John Bannister. They had one daughter.
Career
Bannister was elected to
Belfast Corporation
Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the l ...
in 1965, representing the
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...
(UUP).
["Belfast woman elected mayor", '']Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', 2 June 1981 She stood as an
independent Unionist
Independent Unionist has been a label sometimes used by candidates in elections in the United Kingdom, indicating a support for British unionism (not to be confused with trade unionism).
It is most popularly associated with candidates in electi ...
in
Belfast South at the
1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. P ...
, after failing to secure an official party nomination. She was not elected and continued to sit with the UUP group on the council.
Bannister served as Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1975–1976, and in 1979 was appointed
High Sheriff of Belfast
The High Sheriff of Belfast is a title and position which was created in 1900 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with Sir James Henderson the first holder. Like other high sheriff positions, it is largely a ceremonial post today. The ...
. In 1981 she was elected as the first female
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the Un ...
, beating
Paddy Devlin
Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Devlin (8 March 1925 – 15 August 1999) was an Irish socialist, labour and civil rights activist and writer. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), a former Stormont MP, and a member of ...
and Stewart McCrea.
Honours
Bannister was awarded an
OBE in the
1984 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1984 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...
, for services to local
government in Northern Ireland.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bannister, Grace
Date of birth missing
1924 births
1986 deaths
High Sheriffs of Belfast
Lord Mayors of Belfast
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Ulster Unionist Party councillors
Women mayors of places in Northern Ireland