Britain's first black mayor... in Wandsworth

Barack Obama may be America's first black president but what about Britain's history when it comes to race? Look no further than south west London.

Britain's first black mayor On November 10, 1913, John Archer was elected 14th mayor of Wandsworth when he defeated the deputy leader of Municipal Reform, who was also a West End tailor. It is fair to say that Archer's victory was not without its controversy – mostly set up by Fleet Street. Up until Archer's nomination for mayor in the same year, there had been no reference to Archer's colour or origins. However, the news of his adoption and the fact that the Reform group was going to oppose him again led to national interest and journalists venturing to Wandsworth to pick up on the story. They came up with a series of lavish stories including one that saw Archer originating from far flung outposts such as Burma. Punch, the satirical paper, was fascinated by the whole affair and saw the 'coloured gentleman... better than the present monotonous arrangement by which all our mayors are of the same hue'. Local politicians in Battersea were quick to react and stressed Archer's 23 years residing in the borough while highlighting how he closed his business every Wednesday afternoon so he could attend Board of Guardian Affairs. When he was elected , he said for the local classes: “the greatest thing it has done is to show that that it has no racial prejudice and that it recognises a man for the work he has done”. Deeply popular, he died suddenly in July 1932.