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WOMEN
MPs ELECTED 1940s
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Beatrice Wright (Beatrice Rathbone)
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Date of Birth
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17 June 1910
(née Clough)
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Family
|
Married John
Rathbone, future MP, two children; widowed and remarried (one child)
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Education
|
Radcliffe College,
Oxford
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Early political
experience
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None
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Years in parliament
|
1941-45 (ret.)
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Party
|
Conservative
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Constituency
|
Bodmin
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Other public
offices
|
Vice President,
Royal National Institute for the Deaf (1978-date); founder, Hearing
Dogs for the Deaf (President 1983-88)
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Honours or
titles
|
MBE (1996)
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Back
to top.
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Lady Apsley (Violet Bathurst)
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Date
of Birth
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1895 (née
Meeking)
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Family
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Married to Lord
Apsley, future MP (1924), two children
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Early career
|
Landowner,
author, VAD at Marsh Court Military Hospital (WWI)
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Early political
experience
|
Chair of Bristol
Conservative Women’s Association (1932-52); Sodbury Rural District
Council (1941-43)
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Years in parliament
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1943-45 (def.)
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Party
|
Conservative
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Constituency
|
Bristol Central
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Other campaigns
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Contested Bristol
North East (1950)
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Other public
offices
|
Numerous offices
in Conservative Party; National Chairman Women's Section of British
Legion
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|
Honours or
titles
|
Lady Apsley
(1924-), OBE (1952)
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Death
|
19 January 1966
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Return
to top.
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Alice Bacon (Baroness Bacon)
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Date of Birth
|
1911
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Family
|
Unmarried
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Education
|
Normanton Elementary
and High School; Stockwell Training College; External London University
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Early career
|
Teacher
|
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Early political
experience
|
Member of Labour
NEC (1941-70)
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Years in parliament
|
Commons: 1945-70
(ret.), Lords: 1970-93
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Leeds North
East
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Offices held
|
Minister of
State, Home Office (1964-67), Minister of State, Department of Education
& Science (1967-70)
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Opposition portfolios
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Home Affairs (1959-64)
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Other public
offices
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Labour Party
NEC (1941-70), Chairman of Labour Party (1950-51), Deputy Lieutenant
of West Yorkshire (1974)
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Honours or titles
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CBE (1953),
Baroness Bacon (1970-)
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Death
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24 March 1993
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Return
to top.
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Bessie
Braddock
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Date of Birth
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24 September 1899 (née Bamber)
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Family
|
Married John Braddock, later leader
of Liverpool City Council, no children
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Education
|
Liverpool Elementary
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Early career
|
President Liverpool Trades and Labour
Council
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Early political experience
|
Liverpool City Council (1930-61, alderman
from 1955)
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Years in parliament
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1945-70 (ret.)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
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Liverpool Exchange
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Other public offices
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JP (1946), Labour Party NEC (1947-48,
1958-69), Vice Chairman of NEC (1968-69)
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Honours or titles
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None
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Publications
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Bessie Braddock, The Braddocks
(1963)
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Death
|
13 November 1970
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Back
to top.
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Barbara
Castle (Baroness Castle of Blackburn)
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Date of Birth
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6 October 1911(née Betts)
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Family
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Married, no children
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Education
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St Hugh’s College, Oxford
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Early career
|
Journalist, temporary civil servant
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Early political experience
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St Pancras Borough Council (1937-45),
Metropolitan Water Board (1940-45)
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Years in parliament
|
Commons: 1945-79 (ret.), European
Parliament: 1979-89 (ret), Lords: 1990-date
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Commons: Blackburn, Blackburn East
(1950-55); European Parliament: Greater Manchester North, Greater
Manchester West (1984-)
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Offices held
|
PPS to President of the Board of Trade
(1945-51), Minister of Overseas Development (1964-65), Minister
of Transport (1965-68), Secretary of State for Employment &
Productivity (1968-70), Secretary of State for Social Services (1974-76)
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Opposition portfolios
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Works (1959-60), Employment (1970-71),
Social Security (1971-74)
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Other public offices
|
Chairman of Labour Party (1957-58),
Co-chairman Women's National Commission (1975-76)
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Honours or titles
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life peerage (1990-), Cross of Order
of Merit of Germany (1990)
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Publications
|
W. D'Eath, Barbara Castle (1970);
Castle, The Castle Diaries 1964-1976 (1990); Fighting All the
Way (1993).
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Death
|
3 May 2002
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Return to top.
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Grace Colman
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Date of Birth
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30 April 1892
|
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Family
|
Unmarried
|
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Education
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Newnham College, Cambridge
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Early career
|
Economics lecturer, tutor, civil servant,
editor of party publications
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Early political experience
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Contested Hythe (1929, 1931), Sheffield
Hallam (1935)
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Years in parliament
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1945-50 (def.)
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Other campaigns
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Contested Tynemouth (1951)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Tyneside
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Publications
|
John Sleight, Women on the March
(1986); Dictionary of Labour Biography, volume III (1976).
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Death
|
7 July 1971
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Return to top.
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Freda
Corbet
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Date of Birth
|
1900 (née Mansell)
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Family
|
Married; widowed and remarried
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Education
|
University College London
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Early career
|
Barrister
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Early political experience
|
London County Council (1934-65); contested
Lewisham East (1935)
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Years in parliament
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1945-Feb. 1974 (ret.)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Northwest Camberwell, Peckham (1950-)
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Other public offices
|
JP (1940)
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Death
|
1 November 1993
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Return
to top.
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Caroline
Ganley
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Date of Birth
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16 September 1879 (née Blumfield)
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Family
|
Married
|
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Education
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Elementary only
|
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Early career
|
School manager and governor
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Early political experience
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Battersea Council (1919-25, 1953-65),
London County Council (1925-29 and 1934-37), contested Paddington
North (1935)
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Years in parliament
|
1945-51(def.)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Battersea South
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Other public offices
|
JP (1920); President of London Co-operative
Society (1942-46)
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Honours or titles
|
OBE (1953)
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Further reading
|
Dictionary
of Labour Biography, volume I (1972)
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Death
|
3 August 1966
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Return to top.
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Barbara
Ayrton Gould
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Date of Birth
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1888 (née Ayrton)
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Family
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Married, one
son
|
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Education
|
University
College London
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Early political
experience
|
suffragette;
Contested Lambeth North (1922), Northwich (1924, 1929, 1931), Manchester
Hulme (1935) and Lambeth Northwood (1935)
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Years in parliament
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1945-50 (def.)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
|
Hendon North
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Other public
offices
|
Royal Commission
on the Civil Service (1929-31), acting Chief Women’s Officer of
the Labour Party (1932), Vice Chairman of British Council, Labour
NEC
|
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Further reading
|
Dictionary
of Labour Biography, volume VII (1984)
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Death
|
15 October
1950
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Return to top.
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Margaret
Herbison
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Date of Birth
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12 March 1907
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Family
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unmarried
|
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Education
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Glasgow University
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Early career
|
Teacher
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Years in parliament
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1945-1970 (ret.)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
|
Lanark North
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Offices held
|
Joint Parliamentary Under Secretary
of State, Scottish Office (1950-51); Minister of Pensions and National
Insurance (1964-66), Minister of Social Security (1966-67)
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Opposition portfolios
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Scotland (1951-56,
1959-62), Education (1956-59), Pensions (1958-59, 1962-64)
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Other public offices
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Member of Labour NEC , Labour Party
Chairman (1957), Chairman of Select Committee on Overseas Aid (1969-70),
Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland (1970-71)
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Death
|
1997
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Return to top.
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Jean Mann
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Date of Birth
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29 July 1889
(née Stewart)
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Family
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Married, five
children
|
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Education
|
Bellahouston
Academy
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Early career
|
accountant
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Early political
experience
|
Glasgow Corporation
(1931-38), contested West Renfrewshire (1931, 1935)
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Years in parliament
|
1945-59 (ret.)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Lanark, Coatbridge
and Airdrie (1950-)
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Other public
offices
|
Housing convenor
of Glasgow Corporation, Vice President of Scottish Housing and Town
Planning Association, senior magistrate of Glasgow; Labour Party
NEC (1953-58)
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Further reading
|
Mann, Woman
in Parliament (1962); Dictionary of Labour Biography, volume
VI (1982)
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Death
|
21 March 1964
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Return to top.
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Lucy Middleton
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Date of Birth
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9 May 1894 (née
Cox)
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Family
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Married J.S.
Middleton, later General Secretary of Labour Party
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Education
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Bristol University
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Early career
|
Teacher, organising
secretary in peace movement
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Early political
experience
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Contested Paddington
South (1931), Pudsey (1935); joined staff of Labour Party 1934
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Years in parliament
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1945-51 (def.)
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Other campaigns
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(1955)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
|
Plymouth Sutton
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Other public
offices
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Director and
Foundation Chairman of War on Want (1958-68)
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Death
|
1983
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Return
to top.
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Muriel
Nichol
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Date of Birth
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2 February 1893 in Wilmslow, Cheshire
(née Wallhead)
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Family
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Daughter of R.C. Wallhead MP; married
with one son
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Early career
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Personnel at Robertsons in Hull; Teacher
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Early political experience
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Chairman of Welwyn UDC (1937-45),
contested Bradford North (1935). As well as being a committed Socialist
and reformer, she was also committed to the Suffragette movement.
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Years in parliament
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1945-50 (def.)
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Other campaigns
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Contested Bradford North (1955)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
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Bradford North
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Other public offices
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JP
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Death
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28 May 1983 in Hertfordshire
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Return
to top.
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Florence Paton
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Date of Birth
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1891 (née
Widdowson)
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Family
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married John
Paton, future MP (1930)
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Education
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secondary, private
education
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Early career
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JP
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Early political
experience and other campaigns
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contested Cheltenham
(1928), Rushcliffe (1929, 1931), Carlton (1950, 1951, 1955)
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Years in parliament
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1945-50 (def.
in new constituency)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
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Rushcliffe
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Offices held
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Chairman
of standing committees (first woman to preside over whole House
in committee)
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Other public
offices
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UN delegate
(1947)
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Death
|
12 October 1976
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Return
to top.
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Mabel Ridealgh
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Date of Birth
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11 August 1898
(née
Jewitt)
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Family
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Married,
two children
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Early career
|
cooperative
movement
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Other campaigns
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Contested Ilford
North (1951)
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Years in parliament
|
1945-50 (def.)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
|
Ilford North
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Other public
offices
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President,
Women's Cooperative Guild (1941-42), General Secretary (1953-63)
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Death
|
20 June 1989
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Return
to top.
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Clarice
Shaw
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Date of Birth
|
c.1882
(née McNab)
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Family
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married
|
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Early political experience
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Ayr County
Council (1932-46); contested Ayr (1929, 1931)
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Years in parliament
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1945-46
(ret.)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Ayrshire
and Bute
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Other public offices
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Chairman,
Scottish Labour Party
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Death
|
27 October 1946
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Return
to top.
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Edith
Wills
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Date of Birth
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21 November 1892 (née Wood)
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Family
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Twice married, one son with second
husband
|
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Early career
|
Tailor, trade union official
|
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Early political experience
|
Birmingham City Council (1930-45,
1956-63)
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Years in parliament
|
1945-50 (ret.)
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Party
|
Labour
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Constituency
|
Birmingham Duddeston
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Other public offices
|
JP (1934-70)
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Honours or titles
|
OBE (1966)
|
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Death
|
7 April 1970
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Return to top.
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Lady
Tweedsmuir (Baroness Tweedsmuir of Belhevie)
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Date of Birth
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1915 (née Thomson)
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Family
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Sir Arthur Grant, two children; remarried
Lord Tweedsmuir (1948), one daughter
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Education
|
England, Germany, France
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Early political experience
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Contested Aberdeen North (1945)
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Years in parliament
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Commons: 1946-66 (def.); Lords: 1970-78
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Party
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Conservative
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Constituency
|
Aberdeen South
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Offices held
|
Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (1962-64);
Minister of State, Scottish Office (1970-72); Minister of State,
FCO (1972-74); Deputy Speaker of House of Lords (1974-77)
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Other public offices
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Governor of British Film Institute
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Honours or titles
|
life peerage (1970)
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Death
|
11 March 1978
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Return to top.
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Alice Cullen
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Date of Birth
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18 March 1891
(née McLaughlin)
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Family
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twice widowed
(three children), remarried third time
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Education
|
Lochwinnoch
Elementary School
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Early career
|
Housewife
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Early political
experience
|
Glasgow Corporation
(1935-45)
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Years in parliament
|
1949-69 (obit.)
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Party
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Labour
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Constituency
|
Glasgow
Gorbals
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Other public
offices
|
JP (1941)
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Special achievement
|
First
Catholic woman MP
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Publications
|
Dictionary
of Labour Biography, volume VII (1984)
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Death
|
31
May 1969
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Return
to top.
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