Mary Gertrude Emmott, Baroness Emmott of Oldham JP (28 April 1866 – 16 November 1954) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

political activist.

Life

Emmott was born Mary Gertrude Lees in Waterhead Mill,

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

, Lancashire (now part of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

), and studied at Queen's College, London. She married Alfred Emmott, a local

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

councillor on 5 October 1887; they had two children. She became involved in liberal politics, was a founder member of the local branch of the

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...

, and the main founder of a local branch of the

National Union of Women Workers The National Council of Women exists to co-ordinate the voluntary efforts of women across Great Britain. Founded as the National Union of Women Workers, it said that it would "promote sympathy of thought and purpose among the women of Great Brita ...

(NUWW)."Emmott, Lady Mary Gertrude (Mrs Alfred Emmott, Baroness Emmott of Oldham) (née Lees) OBE, JP", ''Women: a modern political dictionary'', pp.58–59 In 1898, Emmott was elected to the Oldham

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the po ...

, becoming its first female member. The following year, Alfred was elected as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

, and the couple relocated to London. There, she became a vice-chair of the national

Women's Liberal Federation The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of fi ...

, served on the executive of the

London Society for Women's Suffrage The Fawcett Society is a membership charity in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation dates back to 1866, when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage. Original ...

, and chaired the NUWW's Parliamentary and Legislation Committee. In 1911, Alfred was raised to the peerage, Mary thereby becoming Baroness Emmott. She was appointed a Justice of the Peace. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Emmott spent her time supporting Belgian refugees and, as a result, received the Queen Elisabeth Medal. At the 1922 United Kingdom general election, she stood for the

seat herself, but took a distant fifth place. She remained active on the committees of many organisations, principally feminist and women's groups, for the remainder of her life, and was serving as the president of the

Fawcett Society The Fawcett Society is a membership charity in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation dates back to 1866, when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage. Original ...

in 1954, when she died.

References

External links

Emmott, Mary Gertrude (1886–1954), wife of 1st Baron Emmott
– link to papers of official committees on which she sat (held in London School of Economics, The Women's Library) {{DEFAULTSORT:Emmott, Mary 1866 births 1954 deaths British baronesses English suffragists Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates People educated at Queen's College, London People from Oldham National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children people