Violet Markham (October 1872 - 2 February 1959), was a writer, social reformer and public administrator. The daughter of Charles Markham (of Markham Collieries and Markham and Co. Engineering), she was a vocal supporter of the Suffragette movement, stood as an Independent Liberal in the 1918 general election, was elected a town councillor for Chesterfield in 1924 and served as Mayor in 1927. in 1937 she was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Unemployment Assistance Board, a position which, according to her obituary in The Times, was 'probably the most important administrative post up to that time that had been held by a woman'.