Jamesina Anderson Explained

Jamesina Anderson
Birth Place:Glasgow, Scotland
Death Place:Glasgow, Scotland
Occupation:Politician
Known For:Local Politics

Jamesina Anderson (née McKenna) (1885–1977) was a Scottish politician, socialist, and advocate of the rights of working-class people, especially the elderly and children.

Early life and education

Jamesina McKenna was born in Glasgow, Scotland in December 1885. Her father, a cab driver, had died three months before her birth. Her mother remarried in 1888. Jamesina left school aged 13–14 and was a hand-loom weaver and milliner until 1906 when she married John Anderson, an iron-milling machinist and a foreman at Singer's sewing machine factory in Clydebank. They had eight children, of whom six survived her.[1] They lived in Maryhill, Glasgow.

Welfare and Workers' Rights

She was a founding member of the Maryhill Ward Committee in 1920 and was elected several times as chair, until it was disbanded following local government reconstruction in 1977.[2] She had a particular interest in the welfare of the elderly, organising fund-raising and holiday events for older people during her working life, and after she retired from the council.[3] [4]

Political career

She was elected to Glasgow Town Council as a Labour Party Councillor for Maryhill in 1945, and represented Maryhill Ward 18 from 1945 to 1962. She was elected as magistrate in 1947, was a Baillie from 1947 to 1951, and served as a Police Court Judge for the burgh of Maryhill from 1951.[5] [6] On the council, she served on a variety of standing committees and was convenor of the Children's Committee.[7] She was also on the sub-committee for Boarding-Out, in which role she travelled to check on children who had been boarded-out to be looked after

Notes and References

  1. News: The woman Bailie who fought for young and old . 5 December 2018 . Glasgow Herald . 7 June 1977.
  2. Book: Mitchell . Andrew S . The 18th Maryhill Ward Committee: A Backward Look . 1975.
  3. News: At Maryhill: Wartime Difficulties and Old Folks' Treat . The Western Leader . 20 April 1940.
  4. News: Maryhill Ward Committee's Old Folks' Treat . Maryhill Clarion . November 1949.
  5. News: Glasgow Appointments . The Scotsman . 7 November 1947.
  6. Book: City of Glasgow Corporation Diary 1945–1963. Glasgow Corporation.
  7. News: Progressives hope to win Maryhill . Glasgow Herald . 6 June 1960.