Mrs. Isabel Ursula Teshea's name is associated with many "firsts" in Trinidad and Tobago; the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, the first woman minister, the first woman to serve as an ambassador for this country.

SHE WAS BORN Isabel Ursula Cadogan, the daughter of Thomas and Maude, in Princes Town on July 24, 1911. She was educated at Princes Town Government School and went to the University of Puerto Rico much later to attend special courses in Community Education.

An early member of the People's National Movement (PNM), Teshea organised many women's groups, in particular the PNM Women's League, of which she became Chairman in 1956. She also became Lady Vice-Chairman of the PNM in 1956, and retained both posts for a number of years.

In 1961, she became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Local Government and Community Development. She was Minister of Health and Housing from 1963 to 1967 and Minister of Housing from 1967 to 1970.

In 1970 Teshea was appointed ambassador to Ethiopia and from 1974 High Commissioner to Guyana, a post she held until her retirement in 1977.

In 1981, she was the recipient of the Trinity Cross for public service, an award that was made posthumously since she died earlier that year. She was 69.

Taken from: The 90 Most Prominent Women in Trinidad and Tobago - Imprint Caribbean Limited