Alma Lillian Birk, Baroness Birk (née Wilson; 22 September 1917 – 29 December 1996) was a British journalist, Labour Party politician and Government minister.

Early life and education

Alma Lillian Wilson was born on 22 September 1917 in Brighton. Her parents were Barnett Wilson, who ran a "successful greeting-card company", and Alice Wilson. She was educated at South Hampstead High School before studying economics at the London School of Economics.

Political career

After graduating, Birk became involved in Labour Party politics. She unsuccessfully ran for election to Salisbury City Council as a Labour candidate before being elected to Finchley Borough Council, where she served as leader of the Labour group from 1950 to 1953. She unsuccessfully stood as a Labour candidate to become a Member of Parliament on three occasions: for Ruislip-Northwood in the 1950 general election and for Portsmouth West in the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

general elections. Birk was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as Baroness Birk of Regent's Park in

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

on 15 September 1967. In her maiden speech she called for an enhanced probation service to help deal with juvenile crime: In 1969 she was made chair of the

Health Education Council Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

. She served as a

Baroness-in-Waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

between March and October 1974. From 1974 to 1979 she was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of the Environment, and then became Minister of State in the Privy Council Office in 1979. In opposition, she spoke in the House of Lords on the environment between 1979 and 1986, and on arts, libraries, heritage and broadcasting between 1986 and 1993. She was a member of the Fabian Society and the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Personal life

She married Ellis Birk, a solicitor and director of the Daily Mirror Group, on 24 December 1939. The couple had two children. Their granddaughter, Rebecca Birk, is Rabbi of

Finchley Progressive Synagogue Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) is a Liberal Judaism congregation in North Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet. The Rabbi is Rebecca Birk. Synagogue membership is around 350 families. History Finchley Liberal Jewish Congregation was ...

. In the 1960s she became associate editor of ''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

''. During this period Birk also sat as a magistrate in an ordinary magistrates' court and in a matrimonial court, having become a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1952.Hansard, House of Lords, Vol. 302, Col. 1170, 19 June 1969 She was chair of Redbridge Jewish Youth Centre between 1970 and 1996 and on the executive of the Council of Christians and Jews between 1971 and 1977. She was the president of the Association of Art Institutions from 1984 to 1996, and the president of the Craft Arts Design Association from 1984 to 1990. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1980.

References

Sources

* 1917 births 1996 deaths Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II English Jews Jewish British politicians Alumni of the London School of Economics People from Brighton People educated at South Hampstead High School {{life-peer-stub