Paterson, Emma (1848–1886)

English trade unionist. Appointed secretary of the Women's Suffrage Association in 1872, she later founded the Women's Protective and Provident League to promote the establishment of trade unions, following the model of the Umbrella Makers' Union in New York. She became the first woman to be admitted as a delegate to the Trades Union Congress in 1875, and also co-founded and edited the Women's Union Journal in 1876.

Born in London and educated by her father, she became an apprentice book-binder and then assisted her mother as a teacher.