Janet Adegoke Explained

Office:Mayor of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
Predecessor:Eleanor Joan Caruana
Term Start:May 1987
Term End:1 October 1987
Birth Name:Janet Olufunmilayo Adegoke
Birth Place:Ibadan, Nigeria
Death Place:Hammersmith, London, England
Party:Labour

Janet Olufunmilayo Adegoke (1942 – 1 October 1987) was a British-Nigerian nurse and Labour Party politician. She was elected mayor of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1987, becoming the first Black woman to hold the position of mayor of a London borough.[1] Adegoke died aged 45 of cancer a few months after becoming mayor.

Today, the Phoenix Fitness Centre and Janet Adegoke Swimming Pool in White City is named after Adegoke.

Early life

Janet Olufunmilayo Adegoke was born in 1942 in Ibadan, a town in Nigeria.[2] Adegoke came to England in 1961 aged 19 to study nursing. After completing her studies, Adegoke became involved in community work, advocating for improved housing and living conditions.[3] As Secretary of the Emlyn Gardens Tenants' Association and co-founder of Hammersmith African Link, Adegoke campaigned to unite black and white communities in the borough.[4]

Political career

In the 1986 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council election, Adegoke was elected to the Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council in the Starch Green Ward.[5]

In May 1987, Adegoke became mayor of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

Personal life

Adegoke was a single parent and brought up three children.

Death and legacy

Adegoke died aged 45 of cervical cancer in London on 1 October 1987, only months after being elected mayor.

After her death, the successor to Bloemfontein Lido, White City Pools, was renamed the Janet Adegoke Leisure Centre in 1988 until it was demolished in 2003. In 2006, a new leisure complex in White City, the Phoenix Fitness Centre and Janet Adegoke Swimming Pool, was named after Adegoke.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Women’s history trail London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham . 2024-08-14 . www.lbhf.gov.uk . en.
  2. Web site: webbworks333 . 2023-11-28 . Today's Feature . 2024-08-14 . Windrush365 . en.
  3. Web site: webbworks333 . 2023-11-28 . Today's Feature . 2024-08-14 . Windrush365 . en.
  4. Book: Aminu, Adedamola . Nigerian-British Politicians in United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland . 26 April 2018 . Grosvenor House Publishing . 2018 . 9781786232052 . 1st . en.
  5. Web site: London Borough Council Elections 8 May 1986 . 14 August 2024 . London Datastore . London Residuary Body.