Helena Gutteridge (8 April 1879 – 1 October 1960) was a feminist, a suffragist, a trade unionist and the first female city councillor in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Helena was recognized for being a pioneer in pushing for women's rights in British Columbia during a time when gender equality was not yet a prominent social movement and discourse.
Born in Battersea, London, in Victorian England, Helena was the second daughter of the Gutteridge family. At the age of 14, Helena was denied access to further education due to social class and gender discrimination. To continue pursuing an education, Helena left home in the same year and gradually lost touch with her family. From 1893 to 1911, while working as a tailor in London to support herself and to fund her education, Helena was also actively engaged with the female suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. She joined the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), which provided her with ample political experiences and skills that laid the foundation of her political career.
In September 1911, Helena set sail for the westernmost part of Canada. She immediately became actively involved in the female suffrage movement in Vancouver and spent most of her time there helping women who faced economic hardships. After becoming a member of the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1932, Helena focused her career on campaigning for socialist policies in British Columbia as a response to the financial blow of the Great Depression. In 1937, she became elected as the first female councillor to the City of Vancouver. During her time in office, Helena made government-subsidized social housing her priority. Most of her policies were oriented towards a socialist end. Helena won the re-election in 1939 but lost in both 1940 and 1941.
Apart from having an active political career, Helena was also involved in social work. She became a support worker for the Japanese Canadian population at Lemon Creek from 1942 to 1945. During her retirement years, Helena remained engaged with issues concerning women's rights despite fading away from the political scene.
Helena Gutteridge was best remembered for her leadership in labour activism, contribution to the advancement of equal pay in British Columbia, election as the first female city councillor in Vancouver and her lifelong commitment to elevate the status of women.
Family Background
Helena's father, Charles Henry Gutteridge, was born in 1854 in the Hampshire village of Micheldever, situated an hour away from London. He was from a family of blacksmiths and perpetuated the tradition by taking over his own father's forge. At the age of twenty, he left Micheldever and went to London to find work. He then married the daughter of a labourer, Sophia Richardson, in 1876. Sophia, Helena's mother, was born in 1858 in Marylebone district, London. They both settled in the Wandsworth area of Battersea, and Charles found work with the local blacksmith. They had their first daughter Emily in 1877 and their second daughter Helena Rose (known as Nell to her family) on April 8, 1879, as well as four other siblings.
Charles found work as a labourer in Chelsea, and the Gutteridge family moved from Battersea. However, at this time Chelsea was being redeveloped, and a new class of people living in the suburbs and working in the city was buying and reconstructing the area. The Gutteridge family was a victim of gentrification and had to move further from the centre every two to three years, to give way to fashionable boutiques or professional offices. The Cadogan family comprised the main landlords in Chelsea and directed most investment companies in the destruction and reconstruction of the city. Charles found employment in the reconstruction industry. The childhood of Helena was defined by their constant relocation due to the radical transformation of Chelsea. The family was continuously on the move to escape the wreckers.
Helena completely lost contact with her family, except for her sister Emily. It was mainly her nephew Thomas Charles Gutteridge who recalled family life as he was sent to live with his grandparents.