View source for Joyce Newton-Thompson

{{Short description|British-born South African politician, community organizer and author}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    =
| name                = Joyce Newton-Thompson
| honorific_suffix    =
| image               =
| alt                 =
| caption             =
| order               =
| office              = [[Mayor of Cape Town]]
| term_start          = 1959
| term_end            = 1961
| deputy              =
| predecessor         = John Orville Billingham
| successor           = Alfred Honikman
| birth_name          = Joyce Nettelfold
| birth_date          = 9 March 1893
| birth_place         = [[London, England]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1978|10|22|1893|03|09|df=yes}}
| death_place         = [[Pinelands, Cape Town]]
| nationality         = British, South African
| otherparty          = <!--For additional political affiliations-->
| spouse              = Cyril Newton-Thompson
| relations           = [[Lucy Nettlefold]] (sister)
| children            = [[Christopher Newton Thompson]]<br />[[Oswald Newton-Thompson]]
| mother              =
| father              =
| residence           =
| education           =
| alma_mater          = [[London School of Economics]] (Diploma, 1914)
| occupation          = Politician, community organizer, author
| known_for           = First woman elected mayor of Cape Town
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| blank1              =
| data1               =
| signature           =
| signature_alt       = <!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
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}}
'''Joyce Newton-Thompson''' ({{Nee|'''Nettelfold'''}}; 9 March 1893 – 22 October 1978<ref>{{Cite book|last=GISA|title=South African Genealogies: Vol 13|publisher=Genealogical Institute of South Africa|year=2006|isbn=0-7969-0370-0|location=Stellenbosch|pages=178|oclc=18051341}}</ref>) was a British-born [[South Africa]]n politician, community organizer and author. Growing up in London, England, she was active in the British [[women's suffrage]] movement. After immigrating to [[Cape Town]], South Africa, with her husband in 1919, Newton-Thompson became involved in organizing community initiatives such as free meals for schoolchildren and the first [[birth control]] clinic in the city.
In 1951, Newton-Thompson was elected to city council, and in 1959 she became the first female [[mayor of Cape Town]], followed by [[Patricia Kreiner]] in 1993. She supported initiatives that celebrated European colonization of South Africa, but also openly criticized South African cities such as [[Bloemfontein]] that enforced [[racial segregation]] of children and racist seating policies at public festivals.
Newton-Thompson authored two books: ''Gwelo Goodman, South African artist'' (1951) and ''The story of a house'' (1968). She received an honorary [[LL.D]] degree from the [[University of Cape Town]] in 1971.
== Early life ==
Joyce Nettelfold was born in 1893 in [[London|London, England]]. In 1914, she completed a diploma in social science and administration from the [[London School of Economics]], graduating with distinction.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2013|title=Fonds BC643 - Joyce Newton Thompson Collection|url=https://atom.lib.uct.ac.za/index.php/joyce-newton-thompson-collection|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=AtoM@UCT|publisher=[[University of Cape Town]]}}</ref> Nettelfold was active in the British [[women's suffrage]] movement, and one of her roles involved protecting suffragette leader [[Christabel Pankhurst]] as a personal bodyguard.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite thesis|last=Klausen|first=Susanne Maria|title=The formation of a national birth-control movement and the establishment of contraceptive services in South Africa, 1930--1939|date=1999|degree=Ph.D|publisher=Queen's University (Canada)|url=|doi=|isbn=978-0-612-42950-5}}</ref>{{Rp|209}} She worked as a nurse during [[World War I]], providing support to the [[Endell Street Military Hospital]].<ref name=":0" />
In 1917, Nettelfold married lawyer Cyril Newton-Thompson, and the pair moved to [[Cape Town]], South Africa, two years later. They had three sons. One of them, [[Oswald Newton-Thompson|Oswald]], would go on to become a member of parliament.<ref name=":0" />
== Career and community work ==
In 1924, Joyce Newton-Thompson spearheaded the creation of the first local free meal programs for schoolchildren, which was supported by the government for a time before the responsibility was shifted onto a volunteer organization.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Waldorf|first=Dolores|date=1962-05-02|title=Capetown at the Crossroads|pages=85|work=Oakland Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66681692/capetown-at-the-crossroads-oakland/|access-date=2021-01-02}}</ref> In 1931, Newton-Thompson joined six other women and formed the Mothers' Clinic Committee – the first [[birth control]] organization in Cape Town. Her co-founders were [[Ursula Scott]], [[Sallie Woodrow]], Beatrice Newton, Adele Bell, Birch Reynardson and Isabel Haddon.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|197–198}} They established a birth control clinic in [[Observatory, Cape Town|Observatory]], which served equal numbers of white and black women but maintained [[racial segregation]] policies in its service delivery.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|202}}
During [[World War II]], Newton-Thompson was a founding member of the [[South African Women’s Auxiliary Services]].<ref name=":0" /> All three of her sons served in the war and received awards for gallantry,<ref name=":1" /> and the eldest son, Hugh Markham, died in battle at [[Tobruk]] in 1942.<ref name=":0" />
In 1951, Newton-Thompson was elected to city council.<ref name=":0" /> The following year, she voiced her support for a national [[Jan van Riebeeck|Van Riebeeck]] festival celebrating the history of European settlers in South Africa, successfully persuading the council to contribute £75,000 to the project.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Witz|first=Leslie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3kWLtSzxSlcC&q=%22Newton+Thompson%22&pg=PA126|title=Apartheid's Festival: Contesting South Africa's National Pasts|date=2003|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-21613-7|location=|pages=125–126|language=en}}</ref> She was [[Mayor of Cape Town]] from 1959<ref name=":0" /> to 1961,<ref name=":1" /> the first woman to hold the role.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=1962-04-05|title=S. Africa to Solve Own Problem, Speaker Feels|pages=25|work=Albuquerque Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66708683/s-africa-to-solve-own-problem-speaker/|access-date=2021-01-02}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> During 1960, she attended a festival in [[Bloemfontein]] to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the [[Union of South Africa]], but criticized the festival's enforced racial segregation of children and lack of seating for non-white participants.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Uys|first=Stanley|date=1960-06-09|title=Africa's Sombre Anniversary|pages=15|work=Star-Phoenix|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66737768/africas-sombre-anniversary/|access-date=2021-01-03}}</ref> After her term as mayor, she continued working as a city councillor until 1968.<ref name=":0" />
Newton-Thompson wrote a number of articles over the years and authored two books: ''Gwelo Goodman, South African artist'' (1951) and ''The story of a house'' (1968). She received an honorary [[LL.D]] degree from the [[University of Cape Town]] in 1971.<ref name=":0" />
She died in 1978.<ref name=":0" />
== References ==
{{Reflist}}{{Authority control}}
{{CapeTownMayors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton-Thompson, Joyce}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:Mayors of Cape Town]]
[[Category:English suffragists]]
[[Category:20th-century South African women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century South African women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century South African politicians]]
[[Category:Women mayors of places in South Africa]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:British emigrants to South Africa]]