Jessie Burgess was a

British politician The United Kingdom is a unitary state with Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolution that is governed within the framework of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy in which the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarc ...

. She was the Labour councillor for the Camberwell Metropolitan Borough Council from 1934 to 1951, the first woman to be Mayor of Camberwell. She was made an Honorary Freeman of Camberwell in 1958 and made a

CBE 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 ...

in the

1966 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1966 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those co ...

Burgess Park Burgess Park is a public park situated in Camberwell the London Borough of Southwark, and is close to Walworth to the north, Bermondsey to the east and Peckham to the south. At , it is one of the largest parks in South London. Unlike most other ...

is named after her.

Early life and education

Burgess was originally from Brighton and lived in the Peabody Buildings, Camberwell Green.

Political career

Burgess was the Labour councillor for the Borough of Camberwell from 1934 to 1951, and a two-term Mayor of Camberwell, first appointed in 1945-6, and again in 1946-7. She was supported by the (then) 17 year old Pamela Phillips as Mayoress. Pamela was a student of

Mary Datchelor School Mary Datchelor School was an endowed grammar school for girls on Camberwell Grove in Camberwell, Greater London, England. It was established in 1877 and closed in 1981. It was known for its innovations in encouraging teacher training, and for i ...

, and was chosen by Burgess to represent young people who had had challenging times during the war years.

Personal life

Burgess was married to

Frederick George Burgess Frederick George Burgess (16 July 1871 – 31 March 1951) was a British politician and trade unionist. Burgess worked on the railways for many years and became active in the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and its successor, the Nation ...

, who was mayor of Camberwell Metropolitan Borough Council from 1947 to 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Jessie 1981 deaths Mayors of places in Greater London 20th-century British women politicians Women mayors of places in England Women councillors in England Members of Camberwell Metropolitan Borough Council