Political Career
In 1889 Cons became the first ever woman alderman on the London County Council (LCC), working alongside the first elected women members Jane Cobden (elected for Bow and Bromley) and Lady Sandhurst (elected for Brixton). The elections were challenged by anti-suffragists, but as Cons had not been elected, she had been asked by the LCC Progressives to become an alderman, and it was difficult to challenge her position.
When she voted, however, she became liable for a fine: De Souza v. Cobden, which reached the Court of Appeal in 1891, ruled Cobden and Cons could legally be members of the council but could not vote. After this, Cons's commitment to the cause of women's suffrage was energetic, and she served on the Committee for the Return of Women as Councillors, became Vice-President of The Women's Local Government Society, and Vice President of the Women's Liberal Federation.
Read more about this topic: Emma Cons
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