Mary Ann Mercer (1883 – 26 September 1945) was a British politician, who served as the first woman and first Labour Party Mayor of

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

Personal life

Born in Newport, Shropshire, her father died when she was three. Despite her limited schooling, Mercer worked as a housekeeper, trained as a nurse and then worked in

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 ...

as a district visitor. While there, she met and married a Labour Party activist and journalist in 1912. In 1914 they moved to the Wirral and had a family. She died in 1945 and is buried in Flaybrick cemetery,

Political life

Mercer became active in the Labour Party (UK) when she moved to the Wirral. Mercer was elected to Birkenhead Town Council in 1919, representing Argyle ward. In 1924, she was elected as Mayor of Birkenhead, the first woman to hold the post, and also the first Labour Party member to hold the post. While in office, she unveiled

Birkenhead War Memorial Birkenhead War Memorial, or Birkenhead Cenotaph, stands in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England, opposite the Town Hall. It consists of a cenotaph in Portland stone with carved figures and panels in Westmorland stone. The memori ...

. She moved to become the town's first woman

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 ...

in 1926, serving until 1932, when she returned to representing Argyle until 1945. Mercer stood in Liverpool Fairfield at the

1924 United Kingdom general election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, taking second place with 37.1% of the vote. She next stood in Birkenhead East at the

1935 United Kingdom general election The 1935 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 14 November 1935 and resulted in a large, albeit reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Stanley Baldwin of the Conservative Party. The greatest number of members, ...

, when she took 23.3% of the vote, and only third place. Mercer also served as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

from 1929.

Legacy

Mercer Road in

Prenton Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within ...

(previously the local government Bidston and St James Ward) is named after her. She was commemorated in 2018 with a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

on 103 Norman Street,

where she once lived.
portrait
of her as Mayor b
Maude Hall Neale
is displayed in the

Williamson Art Gallery The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum is an art gallery and museum situated in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England and houses Wirral's art collection. History The art gallery and museum opened on 1 December 1928, the single-storey building is Neo-G ...

, Birkenhead. In 2021 Mercer was included in a mural commissioned for the centre of Birkenhead, painted by artist Joseph Venning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Mary 1945 deaths Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Mayors of places in Merseyside Politicians from Birkenhead 1883 births Women councillors in England Councillors in Merseyside Women mayors of places in England