Grace Bannister OBE JP (née Johnson; 1924–1986)[1] was a Northern Irish Unionist politician. She was the first female Lord Mayor of Belfast.
Grace Bannister | |
|---|---|
| 39th Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 1 June 1981 – 1 June 1982 | |
| Deputy | Frank MIllar |
| Preceded by | John Carson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Patton |
| 1st Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 1 June 1975 – 1 June 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Dorothy Dunlop |
| Member of Belfast City Council | |
| In office 1965–1985 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Grace Johnson Ravenhill, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
| Spouse |
John Bannister (m. 1948) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
editBannister was born in the Ravenhill area of Belfast into a Protestant family, the second child of William H. Collim and Grace Johnston.[2] 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.[3]
In 1948, she married John Bannister. They had one daughter.[2]
Career
editBannister was elected to Belfast Corporation in 1965, representing the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).[4] She stood as an independent Unionist in Belfast South at the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election, after failing to secure an official party nomination. She was not elected and continued to sit with the UUP group on the council.[5][6]
Bannister served as Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1975–1976,[7] and in 1979 was appointed High Sheriff of Belfast. In 1981 she was elected as the first female Lord Mayor of Belfast, beating Paddy Devlin and Stewart McCrea.[4]
Honours
editBannister was awarded an OBE in the 1984 New Year Honours,[8] for services to local government in Northern Ireland.[9]
References
edit- ^ Flackes, William D.; Elliott, Sydney (1989). Northern Ireland, a political directory, 1968-88. Blackstaff Press. p. 74. ISBN 9780856404184. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ a b Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died. A. & C. Black. 1981. p. 38. ISBN 9780713633368. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ B, Grace (30 October 1981). "Before I was 20". Belfast Telegraph. p. 12. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Belfast woman elected mayor", Irish Times, 2 June 1981
- ^ South Belfast 1973–1984, Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ Ellis, Walter (13 June 1973). "'Unionist country' where Faulkner expects to do well". The Irish Times.
- ^ "New Lord Mayor of Belfast installed", Irish Times, 3 June 1975
- ^ "Fred Daly received MBE", Irish Times, 31 December 1983
- ^ "No. 49583". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1983. p. 9.