Mary Donaldson, Baroness Donaldson of Lymington Mary Donaldson, Baroness Donaldson of Lymington Dorothy Mary Donaldson, The Lady Donaldson of Lymington, (née Warwick, 29 August 1921 – 4 October 2003), previously known as Dame Mary Donaldson, was the first female Lord Mayor of London (1983–84). Born at Wickham, Hampshire, the daughter of an ironmonger and a school teacher, Donaldson trained as a nurse during the war and qualified in 1946. From 1967–69, she chaired the Women's National Cancer Control Campaign, and then the Vice President of the British Cancer Council. In 1966, she was elected a Member of the City of London Court of Common Council, and
Stuart Donaldson represented Sydney Hamlets in the Council. In March 1856, Donaldson was elected to the newly created Legislative Assembly of the first Parliament, representing Sydney Hamlets. The first Legislative Assembly had trouble forming a Government. Eventually Governor Denison invited Donaldson to be Premier and he took up the offices of Premier and Colonial Secretary on 6 June 1856. Two months and 20 days later, on 25 August 1856, his Government lost a vote and he resigned. He was criticised for standing down so readily but he said, "my colleagues and myself are all too independent of office to cling to it",