Eva Hartree

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Eva Hartree
Born
Eva Rayner

(1873-12-24)24 December 1873
Stockport, England
Died9 September 1947(1947-09-09) (aged 73)
Cambridge, England
NationalityBritish
EducationGirton College, Cambridge
Known forSocial activist and politician
Spouse(s)William Hartree
Children6

Eva Hartree (née Rayner) (24 December 1873 – 9 September 1947)[1] was the first woman to be Mayor of Cambridge, in 1924–25.

Early life[]

Hartree was born Eva Rayner in Stockport in 1873, the daughter of a Jewish doctor, Edwin Rayner and his wife Isabella.[2][3][4]

Hartree read natural history at Girton College, Cambridge from 1892, completing tripos in 1895, but not graduating as women did not then proceed to graduation.[2] Also in 1895 she married William Hartree, a lecturer in engineering.[2] She was a suffragist (not a more militant suffragette).[2]

Civic career[]

Hartree was a Borough Councillor from 1921 to 1927, during which time she was the first woman to be Mayor of Cambridge in 1924–25.[2] As a result of suffering from Graves' disease, she had a short period off the council, but was again a Councillor from 1929 to 1943.[2] Hartree was President of the National Council of Women of Great Britain in 1933.[5] After her husband died in 1943, she resigned from the council and moved to London, to work with refugees.[5]

Personal life[]

The Hartrees had six children, only two of whom survived beyond infancy, and only one of those two to adulthood.[2] The surviving son was Douglas Rayner Hartree, who became Plummer Professor of Mathematical Physics.[2] The Hartrees lived at 21 Bentley Road, Trumpington.[6] During the time after William Hartree died and Eva Hartree lived in London, the house was occupied by the scientist John Baker.[6]

Her husband died in 1943, and Hartree herself died in 1947.[2]

Legacy[]

The Clay Farm community centre in Trumpington has an Eva Hartree Hall.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ "Death of Cambridge's First Woman Mayor", Cambridge Daily News, 10 September 1947.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Trumpington Local History Group: Eva Hartree". Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Trumpington Local History Group: Life and Times of Eva Hartree". Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  4. ^ "The Year, 2017: "Exile and Exodus", p 14". Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Cambridge Mayors: 800 Years" (PDF). Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Trumptington: Bentley Road". Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Cambridge Council: Clay Farm Centre". Retrieved 12 June 2021.
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