Nancy Astor – The First Female to Take a Seat in the House of Commons

1 December 1919 (a late 'This Day in History', but still an important one)

 

100 years ago, on this day, marks the centenary of Nancy Astor taking her seat in the House of Commons, marking her as the first female to do so. She represented the Conservative Party in the 1919 general election and held her seat for 26 years after stepping down in 1945. Nancy was originally from Danville, Virginia in the United Stated and moved to England in 1905, while in her twenties. In 1918, her husband, Waldorf Astor, became MP for Plymouth Sutton, the same year in which women won the right to vote and could run for election. The next year, his father died, so he inherited the title of 'Viscount Astor' and was forced to give up his seat in order to take his new place in the House of Lords. This meant that Nancy could run for his vacant seat.

 

Nancy fought for the rights of women, and successfully caused the female voting age to lower from 30 to 21 in 1928. However, her biggest achievement that she worked hardest on was the Intoxicating Liquor Act, also known as Lady Astor's Bill, which was passed in 1923. It raised the age to the sale of alcohol to those 18 and above, rather than 14, and remains in place today. She went through seven successful elections and 26 years in the House of Commons, but Nancy Astor retired from politics in 1945, the same year that 24 women were elected to Parliament.

 

This year, former prime minister Theresa May unveiled a special statue of Nancy, near her family home in Plymouth, and was also remembered with a Great Western Railway train named after her, travelling from London Paddington to Plymouth. However, this statue has raised some concerns after campaigners asked that Nancy's anti-Semitism be remembered, after a spokesperson commented that she "held appalling views on Jews and Nazi Germany". Even though Astor was a key player in fighting for women's rights, she belonged to a group of members of the elite called the Cliveden set, who were accused of being sympathetic to fascism, and has also been reported saying offensive anti-Semitic comments to MP Alan Graham and US ambassador Joseph K Kennedy.

 

To read more on Nancy Astor's role as a celebrated female figure, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-50577118 for more details.

To read more on Nancy Astor's anti-Semitist comments, visit https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nancy-astor-statue-theresa-may-boris-johnson-antisemitism-plymouth-a9226106.html for more details.