Felicity Lane-Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox, OBE (22 June 1918 – 17 April 1988) was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

and champion of disability issues.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
retrieved 1 March 2013
/ref>''The Times'', 18 April 1988, p. 18. She was born in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, the daughter of Edward Lane-Fox, who was brother of

George Lane-Fox, 1st Baron Bingley George Richard Lane Fox, 1st Baron Bingley, PC (15 December 1870 – 11 December 1947) was a British Conservative politician. He served as Secretary for Mines between 1922 and 1924, and again between 1924 and 1928. Background and education Lan ...

. At the age of 12 she was paralysed by an attack of poliomyelitis. Despite these difficulties, she and her parents enjoyed family activities together; in September 1945, they reportedly attended horse-related events at their

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families ...

Bramham Park Bramham Park is a Grade I listed 18th-century country house in Bramham, between Leeds and Wetherby, in West Yorkshire, England. The house, constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar with stone slate roofs in a classical style, is built to a li ...

, alongside Countess Wharncliffe, Sir George Martin, Mr and Mrs Middleton Joy and other

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

members. Like the Baroness, her family were supporters of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

for which they reportedly held

fund-raising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

events at Bramham Park in the 1930s. In 1963 she became a member of the executive of the

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...

. In the

1976 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1976 to celebra ...

she was appointed OBE for services to disabled people. On 19 May 1981 she was created a life peer, as Baroness Lane-Fox, ''of Bramham in the County of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

''. Using an electric wheelchair, she was an active member of the House of Lords until her death. She was the aunt of

Robin Lane Fox Robin James Lane Fox, (born 5 October 1946) is an English classicist, ancient historian, and gardening writer known for his works on Alexander the Great. Lane Fox is an Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford and Reader in Ancient History, Un ...

and great-aunt of his daughter

Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, (born 10 February 1973) is a British businesswoman, philanthropist, and public servant. She co-founded Last Minute during the dotcom boom of the early 2000s and has subsequently served on public se ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane-Fox, Felicity Lane-Fox, Baroness 1918 births 1988 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Conservative Party (UK) life peers People from Tadcaster 20th-century British women politicians