Clare Margaret Christian OBE CP (born 11 September 1945) is a Manx politician, who was

President of Tynwald The President of Tynwald (''Eaghtyrane Tinvaal'') is the presiding officer at the sittings of Tynwald Court in Douglas and is elected by the members of Tynwald from amongst their number. The first elected President, Charles Kerruish, was elec ...

until 2016. She is a former member of the Legislative Council and former

Health Minister A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Count ...

in the

Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government ( gv, Reiltys Ellan Vannin) is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of Charles III. The executive head is the Chief M ...

. Christian is the daughter of Sir Charles Kerruish,

and

Chairman of the Executive Council The Chairman of the Executive Council of the Isle of Man was the executive head of the Isle of Man Government from 1961 to 1986. The title of the office was changed in 1986 to Chief Minister. Chairmen See also *Chief Minister * Executive Co ...

. Her sister is

Anne Craine Anne Valerie Craine (born 30 April 1954) is a Justice of the Peace from the Isle of Man. Early life Craine went to primary school at Dhoon School before attending Ramsey Grammar School after which she studied at St Godric’s Secretarial Col ...

, the former Treasury Minister. She is a graduate of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

with a degree in Physics and Chemistry, and previously worked as a research chemist for

Cadbury Schweppes Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mars ...

. She was also the Island Guide Commissioner from 1991 to 1996. Christian became an MHK at her first attempt for the

Ayre Ayre ( ; gv, Inver Ayre) is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Andreas, Bride and (Kirk Chris ...

constituency in March 1980, but failed to be re-elected in 1986. She was, however, appointed an MLC in 1993 and was appointed Health Minister in 1996, overseeing the construction of the new Noble's Hospital. In 2011, she was elected to the position of President of Tynwald. Christian was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to the Isle of Man. She was appointed

Captain of the Parish The Captain of the Parish is an official in each parish in the Isle of Man—formerly the title was ''Captain of the Parish Militia'', but it is now only a titular honour. Historically the Captain of the Parish was authorised to raise his own mi ...

Maughold Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the patron saint of the Isle of Man. Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a ban ...

in early 2018.

Governmental positions

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the

Civil Service Commission A civil service commission is a government agency that is constituted by legislature to regulate the employment and working conditions of civil servants, oversee hiring and promotions, and promote the values of the public service. Its role is rou ...

, 1981–82 * Minister of Health and Social Security, 1996–2004 *

Vice Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority, 2009–11 *

, 2011–16

References

Manx women in politics Living people 1945 births Alumni of the University of London Officers of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century British women politicians 20th-century British women politicians Members of the House of Keys 1976–1981 Members of the House of Keys 1981–1986 Members of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man {{IsleofMan-politician-stub