Enid Hattersley, Lord Mayor of Sheffield from 1981-82, may be better remembered by a wider audience as the mother of the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Roy Hattersley, on whom she naturally had a formative influence.
In the tradition of formidable Labour women of that generation Enid Hattersley made a significant political impact in her own right.
Born Enid Anne Brackenbury, she was, in her own words, effectively born into the Labour Party. Her father, Ernest Brackenbury, had been a miner, and a coal merchant who went on to be the chairman of Derbyshire County Council.
Enid Hattersley had married a Catholic miner called John O'Hara. She went on, however, to set up home with the priest who had prepared her to be received into the church, Frederick Hattersley, though they were not married until many years after their son's birth in 1932 and O'Hara's death in 1956.
Her political career began in 1960 with her election to the council. Once there she took a particular interest in housing and for 20 years seved on the city's libraries and arts committee.
Education secretary David Blunkett, who was leader of the council when Mrs Hattersley was Lord Mayor, yesterday paid tribute to her as one of the city's most popular politicians. He said she had made a bigger contribution to art and culture in Sheffield than anyone else in her generation and had been ''dedicated and deeply committed'' on health, education, and child care.
Although clearly proud of her son's political achievements on a national stage she was heard to voice the opinion that with the same opportunities she would have done more.
Throughout her life Enid was a stalwart of the local party but her own political career began only at the age of 39 when she was elected to Sheffield City Council's Cathedral ward after 26 years caring for her invalid mother. Although she immersed herself in all aspects of the council's work, two of Hattersley's great passions were the city's education and housing services.
Even more than these, however, Hattersley was dedicated to the city's libraries, art galleries, and museums. As a result of her 14 years chairing the appropriate council committee, she became involved in several national bodies.
For many years she resisted attempts to have her elevated to the post of Lord Mayor, having seen the position used by several party leaders to remove long-serving chairmen from their posts. However, in her mid-seventies she finally relented, retiring from the council two years later. Frederick Hattersley died in 1973. She is survived by their son, Lord Hattersley.
Enid Hattersley, Lord Mayor of Sheffield, 1981-82; born September 19, 1904, died May 17, 2001.
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