Caroline Haslett

Born on 17 August 1895 in Worth, Sussex, England, Caroline Haslett was an electrical engineer and women’s rights advocate. At age 18 Haslett enrolled at a secretarial college, and the following year she took a job as a junior clerk at Cochran Boiler Company in London. There, Haslett was afforded the opportunity to gain basic engineering training during World War I. By 1918 she was managing the London office and was sent to the Scottish office to learn more about the business. In 1919 Haslett left Cochran to become the first secretary of the newly founded Women’s Engineering Society, for which she served as president in 1941. She was also the founder and first editor of WES’s magazine, The Woman Engineer. In 1924 she founded the Electrical Association for Women and became its first director. She believed electricity could benefit women by enabling them to pursue careers outside the home. Over the next several decades, Haslett traveled widely, speaking and presenting papers around the world. She served as a British delegate to the World Power Conference several times. She served on the boards and councils of public societies, departments, and institutions. She was the first woman to be made a companion member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the first woman to be appointed a member of the British Electricity Authority, and the first woman vice president of the National Safety First Association. In 1931 Haslett was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 1947 a Dame Commander. She died in 1957 at age 61.

Date in History: 17 August 1895