Grace Bannister (née Johnston) was Belfast's first female Lord Mayor.

Bannister was elected to the Belfast Corporation in 1965, representing the Ulster Unionist Party. She continued to serve on the Council until 1985 and chaired the Parks and Cemeteries Committee. She was a member of the Improvement, Education, Town Planning and Traffic Special Committees from 1965-73, and subsequently served on the General Purposes and Finance and Leisure Centres/Services Committees.

Bannister was made a Justice of the Peace for Belfast in 1965. From 1973 to 1981, she was a member of the Belfast Education and Library Board. She was awarded an OBE in 1984.