Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford (28 September 1869 – 28 October 1956) was a British
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
politician.
Family and education
A daughter of
James Cochran Stevenson, a Liberal Member of Parliament for
South Shields, Hilda Stevenson was educated at
Notting Hill High School
Notting Hill and Ealing High School is an independent school for girls aged 4 – 18 in Ealing, London. Founded in 1873, it is one of the 26 schools that make up the Girls' Day School Trust. It has a Junior Department of 310 girls (ages 4–11) ...
and
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college statu ...
, where she took first class honours in the History
Tripos
At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...
. In 1898 she married
Walter Runciman, a rising politician. They had two sons and three daughters, including
Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford,
Margaret Fairweather
Margaret Fairweather (23 September 1901 – 4 August 1944) was a British aviator and one of the first eight women members of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). She was the first woman to fly a Supermarine Spitfire.
Life
Fairweather was born in 1 ...
, one of the first eight women pilots in the
Air Transport Auxiliary
The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factori ...
,
[''Who was Who'', OUP 2007] and historian
Steven Runciman.
Political career
Local
She became the first woman member to be elected to the
Newcastle on Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the la ...
School Board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
.
[ She was also a member of the Northumberland County Council Education Committee and one of the earliest women ]magistrates
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
.
National
In the 1920s Mrs Runciman took on a more national political role. She served as president of the Women's National Liberal Federation, 1919–21, continuing to sit on its executive committee for many years. She also served as president of the Women's Free Church Council, a member of the executive of the League of Nations Union The League of Nations Union (LNU) was an organization formed in October 1918 in Great Britain to promote international justice, collective security and a permanent peace between nations based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. The League of N ...
, chaired the Westminster Housing Association, and was a founder of the Westminster Housing Trust. In Liberal Party politics she was a strong advocate of H H Asquith, and under her presidency the Women's National Liberal Federation supported the maintenance of independent Liberalism and an end to the Lloyd George coalition.Martin Pugh
Martin John Pugh is a British guitarist who came to prominence after joining blues-rock band Steamhammer in 1968, staying with that band through 5 years and 4 albums. The debut Steamhammer album, also known as '' Steamhammer'', was released ...
(2004) "Hilda Runciman" in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press
Parliament
She became an MP in her own right in 1928, when she was elected in a by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
as Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for St Ives in Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, though she remained in Parliament for only one year, handing the seat to her husband at the 1929 general election. This 'halo effect' of women taking a parliamentary seat to then hand it over to their husband accounted for the election of ten women MPs (nearly a third of the women elected to parliament) between the two world wars.
She herself fought the 1929 general election for the Liberals at Tavistock
Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13 ...
, having been invited to become the candidate by the local Liberal Association against the wishes of national headquarters who were apparently unhappy that she was not a supporter of party leader David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...
. She narrowly failed to gain Tavistock from the Conservatives
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 ...
by just 152 votes.[F.W.S. Craig (1949) ''British Parliamentary Election Results, 1918–1949''; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, p. 330]
Titles
In 1937 her husband became Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Viscount Runciman of Doxford, of Doxford in the County of Northumberland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1937 for the Hon. Walter Runciman, a politician whose career included service as a Member of Parliament ...
, and she was styled as Viscountess Runciman of Doxford.[
]
Death
Hilda Runciman died of heart failure at her home, 73 Portland Place, London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, on 28 October 1956, aged 87.[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runciman of Doxford, Hilda Runciman, Viscountess
1869 births
1956 deaths
Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for St Ives
UK MPs 1924–1929
British viscountesses
Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford
Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford (28 September 1869 – 28 October 1956) was a British Liberal Party politician.
Family and education
A daughter of James Cochran Stevenson, a Liberal Member of Parliament for South Shields, Hild ...
People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School
Place of birth missing
20th-century British women politicians
20th-century English women
20th-century English people