Isabel Ursula Teshea
Isabel Ursula Teshea, TC (24 July 1911 – 14 April 1981) was an Afro-Trinidadian social worker, human rights activist, and politician. One of the founders of the People's National Movement, she served as vice chair of the party and was the first woman to hold the office. When Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain, she ran as a candidate, becoming the first woman elected in the newly established House of Representatives. She became the first woman cabinet Minister and later ambassador for the country. Posthumously, she was awarded the Trinity Cross, the highest honor of the country. Early life Isabel Ursula Cadogan was born on 24 July 1911 in San Fernando, on the island of Trinidad, in the British West Indies's colony of Trinidad and Tobago, to Maude and Thomas Cadogan. Her father was a tailor and soon after her birth, the family moved to Princes Town, where Cadogan grew up and attended the Government Primary School. Having little access to secondary education, common in the country at that time, Cadogan continued her education under the pupil-teacher system. While working as a student teacher, she began organizing student clubs arranging concerts, dances and speaking events. She founded a