Following on from the launch of our exhibition of Great Northerners immortalised by Stan Chow, we held an online vote to pick the Greatest Northerner of them all, and are pleased to announce that Emmeline Pankhurst came out top, achieving 26% of the vote.
Born in Manchester, Emmeline grew up in a politically active family and became heavily involved in politics throughout her life. She became an early supporter of radical causes including women’s suffrage, involved in organisations such as the Women’s Franchise League and the Women’s Social and Political Union, and most famously took a lead in the British Suffragettes Movement.
During World War 1, Pankhurst called a halt to militancy and demonstrations and encouraged women to join the war effort and fill factory jobs so that men could fight on the front. This contribution helped convince the British government to grant them limited voting rights with the Representation of the People Act of 1918.
Pankhurst passed away at the age of 69 in London in 1928.