Violet Grantham

Violet Hardisty Grantham (15 February 1893 – 20 May 1983) was a British politician, the first woman to served as Lord Mayor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Born Violet Taylor, she was educated privately, and married John Grantham, who served as Lord Mayor of Newcastle in 1936/37. In addition to being his Lady Mayoress, Violet served on the boards of a number of local organisations, and in 1937 she was elected to Newcastle City Council in her own right, representing the Conservative Party. In 1950/51, she became the first woman to serve as Sheriff of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and was elected as an alderman of Newcastle City Council in 1951. In 1952/53, she was the first woman to serve as Lord Mayor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and she held the post again in 1957. She again became an elected councillor in 1958, and served until the reorganisation of local government in 1974, when she retired.