Gloria Dorothy Hooper, Baroness Hooper, (born 25 May 1939) is a British lawyer and 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 ...

life peer in 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 ...

. The daughter of Frederick and Frances (née Maloney) Hooper, she was educated at La Sainte Union Convent High School, Southampton, and at the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

. She attended the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in law in 1960 and at

Universidad Central del Ecuador The Central University of Ecuador ( es, Universidad Central del Ecuador) is a national university located in Quito, Ecuador and is the oldest and largest university in Ecuador, and one of the oldest in the Americas. The enrollment at Central Univ ...

, where she was a Rotary Foundation Fellow. Baroness Hooper opened The British School of Quito in September 1995.

Legal background

Hooper was assistant to the chief registrar of

John Lewis Partnership The John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company which operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose & Partners supermarkets, its banking and financial services, and other retail-related activities. The privately-held pu ...

between 1960–961 and editor in current law of Sweet & Maxwell, Law Publishers between 1961–62. From 1962–67, she was information officer, to the Winchester City Council and from 1967–72, assistant solicitor with Taylor and Humbert. In 1972–73, Hooper was legal adviser to Slater Walker France S.A. Between 1974–84, she was partner with Taylor and Humbert (now Taylor, Wessing).

Political career

An active member of the Conservative Party, Hooper was the party's candidate for

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in the

1979 European Parliament election The 1979 European Parliament election was a series of parliamentary elections held across all 9 (at the time) European Community member states. They were the first European elections to be held, allowing citizens to elect 410 MEPs to the Europe ...

. Although the seat was thought to be safe Labour, Hooper won it by 7,227 over Labour's Terry Harrison, a member of the Militant group. Comparing the election with the total votes cast in the 1979 general election five weeks previously, the swing to the Conservatives was 11% in Liverpool, as against 5% nationally. Hooper was defeated in the 1984 election in the Merseyside West constituency.

Affiliations

* Anguilla All Party Parliamentary Group, co-chair *

Law Society of England and Wales The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the professional association that represents solicitors for the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, as ...

, member * Member of the Advisory Board, Polar Research and Policy Initiative * President of the British Educational Suppliers Association * Vice-President of Canning House (Hispanic and Luso Brazilian Council) * President of Waste Watch * President of the European Foundation For Heritage Skills *

Institute for the Study of the Americas The Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) was established in 2004 following a merger of the Institute of Latin American Studies and the Institute of United States Studies. ISA formed part of the University of London’s School of Advanc ...

(

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 ...

), councilmember * President of Good Guy's Cancer Appeal * President of the Anglo Latin-American Foundation * President of the Friends of Colombia for Social Aid * President of the Central America Business Council (CABC)

Trusteeships and Fellowships

* Trustee,

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

* Trustee, Centre for Global Energy Studies * Trustee, National Museums and Galleries of Merseyside Development Trust * Trustee/Fellow,

Industry and Parliament Trust The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) is a charity that works to promote the mutual understanding of Parliament and business. It works within the Parliament of the United Kingdom and organisations from all sectors of industry. It is non-partisan, ...

(and fellow) * Trustee, ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

'' * Fellow, Royal Society of Arts * Fellow, Royal Geographical Society.

Peerage

She was invested as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2002

New Year's Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

and on 10 June 1985, she was created a life peer with the title Baroness Hooper, of Liverpool and St James's in the City of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. She was created a Dame of the

Order of St Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Gloria Hooper, Baroness 1939 births Living people People educated at the Royal Ballet School Alumni of the University of Southampton Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Conservative Party (UK) MEPs Conservative Party (UK) life peers Dames of St. Gregory the Great English Roman Catholics Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II People associated with the University of London 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics MEPs for England 1979–1984 20th-century women MEPs for England