{{short description|English politician and magistrate}} {{for|the founder of the Baghdad Peace Library|Muriel Jessie Forbes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use British English|date=November 2018}} '''Muriel Rose Forbes''' {{Post-nominals|country=UK|CBE|JP|size=100%}} (20 April 1894 – 18 April 1991) was a British Labour Party politician and magistrate.

== Early life == Forbes was born on 20 April 1894 to John Cheeseright. She married Charles Gilbert Forbes in 1923, with whom she had two daughters. She was educated at Gateshead Grammar School and Southlands Teacher Training College.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title=Forbes, Muriel Rose, (20 April 1894 – 18 April 1991), JP; Alderman, London Borough of Brent, 1972–74 |journal= Who's Who & Who Was Who|year= 2007|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-172496|language=en|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U172496|isbn= 978-0-19-954089-1|url-access=subscription}}</ref> She worked as a mathematics teacher, and would later take an interest in education policy.<ref name="Simon1999">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2glAQAAIAAJ|title=Education and the social order, 1940-1990|author=Brian Simon|publisher=Lawrence & Wishart|year=1999|isbn=9780853158837}}</ref>

== Political career == Forbes joined Willesden Borough Council in 1936, staying in this role until 1947. Alongside this, she was a member of Middlesex County Council from 1934 to 1965. In 1946 she was made a justice of the peace for Middlesex.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=25 April 1960|title=The First One|work=The Times}}</ref> She was chair of the Middlesex education committee from 1946 to 1949 and 1958 to 1959.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=27 November 1958|title=Middlesex Schools "Steam-Roller"|work=The Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=26 March 1959|title="Informal System" Replacing 11-Plus|work=The Times}}</ref> She was elected as its chair, serving from 1960 to 1961.<ref name=":0" /> She was the first woman to be elected as chair of Middlesex County Council.<ref name=":1" />

In 1956, she proposed a motion at a Labour Party women's conference condemning the Soviet Union's response to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which passed.<ref>{{Cite news|date=3 April 1957|title=Labour Women Divided on Hungary|work=The Times}}</ref>

She was elected to the Greater London Council in 1964, serving as vice-chair for the first two years of her term, while Harold Shearman served as chair. She lost her Brent seat in 1967.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.london.gov.uk/elections/|title=Elections – London Datastore|website=data.london.gov.uk|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-24}}</ref> She served on the governing committees of St Charles' Hospital, Paddington General Hospital and Central Middlesex Hospital.<ref name=":0" /> She was made an alderman of Brent London Borough Council in 1972, holding the role until 1974.<ref name=":0" />

She supported Reg Freeson in the 1983 United Kingdom general election.<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 May 1983|title=The Times Diary|work=The Times}}</ref>

== Honours == Forbes was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1963 for services to the community.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abitofhistory.net/html/rhw/f.htm|title=A Bit of History WebSite|website=abitofhistory.net|access-date=2018-11-24}}</ref> She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Technology degree from Brunel University London in 1966.<ref name=":0" />

== References == {{Reflist}} <references group="" />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Muriel}} Category:1894 births Category:1991 deaths Category:Place of birth missing Category:Place of death missing Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Members of Middlesex County Council Category:Members of the Greater London Council Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Brent Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors Category:English justices of the peace Category:Women councillors in England