WHO do you think is the greatest Glaswegian of all time? This summer we are showcasing the top 50 men and woman who have put the city on the map. Once they have all been revealed, we will be holding a public vote to find the winner. Today we feature the woman who became Glasgow’s first female Lord Provost and the boy from a Glasgow slum who grew up to launch one of the world’s best known tea brands

Jean Roberts

JEAN Roberts achieved a remarkable feat in 1960 in the male-dominated council chambers by becoming Glasgow’s first female Lord Provost.

Jean Weir, she was born in Springburn and attended Albert School and Whitehill School.

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After finishing her education, Jean went on to train as a teacher and landed a job at Bishop Street Elementary School.

It was here that she met her husband, Cameron Roberts, also a teacher and the couple went on to have a daughter.

Jean always had a keen interest in politics, both her and her husband proud members of the International Labour Party. She became active in 1929 when she stood for election to Glasgow Corporation as a councillor for the Kingston Ward, an area located on the south side of the River Clyde, heavily dominated by docks.

In 1933, the Labour Group on the council gained overall political control of Glasgow, with Jean holding several positions within the city administration. She was appointed Senior Magistrate in 1936 before becoming the City Treasurer in 1952.

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She became leader of the Labour Group on the City Council in 1955, a fantastic achievement for her and incredible progress within equality and diversity within the council.

After 10 years of being nominated, Jean finally became the Lord Provost in 1960, a unique feat as she was the first female to be appointed to this role. She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1962, the equivalent to receiving a knighthood.

She served as a Glasgow City Councillor until 1965 and held the post of Chairman of the Cumbernauld Development Corporation till 1972. She sadly passed away in 1988 at the grand age

of 93.

Thomas Lipton

World famous tea merchant Thomas Lipton said the secret of his success was selling the best goods at the cheapest prices, harnessing the power of advertising, and always being optimistic.

Born in a Glasgow slum in the Gorbals in 1848, Lipton went from rags to riches, brushing shoulders with the wealth of Glasgow.

Due to the environment Lipton grew up in, he had little in the way of education. However, in 1864 at the ripe young age of 16, he began his first real adventure as a cabin boy onboard a steamship to Belfast.

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The crew on the ship told Lipton of their adventures, especially those to the US.

Lipton used his wages from the steamer company to buy passage on a ship to America.

He spent five years working across the country, working on a tobacco plantation in Virginia, a rice plantation in South Carolina, a farm in New Jersey and a grocery in New York.

After his American ­escapades, he returned to Glasgow in 1870.

In 1871, Lipton got his first taste of success, opening a grocery store in the Anderston area of Glasgow. This venture proved successful, so Lipton took the decision to open branches across Glasgow, the Scotland then the whole of Britain.

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While his empire was ­growing, the price of tea was falling, resulting in higher demand. Lipton took this as a business opportunity, becoming a tea merchant in 1888 and establishing the very well-known Lipton tea brand.

At this time, James Taylor had just introduced tea plantations to Sri Lanka which was known as Ceylon. In 1890, Lipton made a deal with Taylor and bought tea from Ceylon.

He then began distributing his now famous and popular tea around Europe and the USA.

Lipton was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in March 1901.