Fisher, Cicely Corbett (1885–1959)

British suffragist and women's rights activist . Born Cicely Corbett in Danehill, Sussex, England, in 1885; died in Danehill, Sussex, in 1959; youngest of two daughters of Charles (a lawyer) and Marie (Gray) Corbett; younger sister of Margery Corbett-Ashby (1882–1981); educated at home; attended Sommerville College, Oxford; married Chambers Fisher (a journalist), in 1913; no children.

The youngest daughter of suffragist Marie Corbett and radical lawyer Charles Corbett, Cicely Corbett, along with her older sister Margery, was educated by her parents at home with the assistance of a local woman who taught French and German. At 15, no doubt influenced by her mother's politics, she joined with her sister and some friends to form the Younger Suffragist. Cicely went on to study modern history at Sommerville College, Oxford, where she was also active in the local branch of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. When the Liberal Party failed to sufficiently support women's suffrage, she and Margery broke from the Women's Liberal Federation and, with their mother, formed the Liberal Women's Suffrage Group.

After college, Cicely went to work for Clementina Black at the Women's Industrial Council, an organization that campaigned for improved pay and working conditions for women. She was also active in the Anti-Sweating League, which sought improved working conditions and wages in certain trades that primarily employed women and children, and for which she organized several conferences. Her programs often included speeches and demonstrations from women who were exploited in the work force. In 1914, Cicely married Chambers Fisher, a radical journalist. In her later years, she was active in the Labor Party and the Women's International League. She died at Danehill, Sussex, in 1959.

suggested reading:

Black, Clementina. Married Women's Work, 1993.

Corbett-Ashby, Margery. Memoirs, 1996.

Roberts, Marie, ed. The Reformers Socialist Feminism, 1995.