Grace Bannister

Grace Bannister, OBE, was a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

Bannister was elected to Belfast Corporation in 1965, representing the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).^[1] She stood as an independent Unionist in Belfast South at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973, after failing to secure an official party nomination. She was not elected and continued to sit with the UUP group on the council.^[2][3]

Bannister served as Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1975–1976,^[4] 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.^[1]

Honours

Bannister was awarded an OBE in the 1984 New Years' Honours.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Belfast woman elected mayor", Irish Times, 2 June 1981
2. ^ South Belfast 1973-1984, Northern Ireland Elections
3. ^ Walter Ellis, "'Unionist country' where Faulkner expects to do well", Irish Times, 13 June 1973
4. ^ "New Lord Mayor of Belfast installed", Irish Times, 3 June 1975
5. ^ "Fred Daly received MBE", Irish Times, 31 December 1983