Felicity Jane Ewart-Biggs, Baroness Ewart-Biggs (née Randall; 22 August 1929 – 8 October 1992) was a British politician and wife to the British Ambassador to Ireland,

Christopher Ewart-Biggs Christopher Thomas Ewart Ewart-Biggs, (5 August 1921 – 21 July 1976) was the British Ambassador to Ireland, an author and senior Foreign Office liaison officer with MI6. He was killed in 1976 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in ...

, who was murdered in office. She was President of the

British Committee British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

and became 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 ...

in 1981, later serving as the Labour Party's spokesperson on home affairs, consumer affairs and overseas development.

Early life and marriage

Ewart-Biggs was born in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to Indian Army Major Basil FitzHerbert Randall and his wife, Rena. She returned to England with her mother after the death of her father and studied at

Downe House School Downe House School is a selective independent girls' day and boarding school in Cold Ash, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, for girls aged 11–18. The ''Good Schools Guide'' described Downe House as an "Archetypal traditional girls' full bo ...

. After attending secretarial college, she worked as a secretary at the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

and later joined the Savoy Hotel. She married diplomat

on 5 May 1960 and they had three children, Henrietta, Robin and

Kate Ewart-Biggs The Honorable Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE (born November 1967) is Deputy Chief Executive of the British Council. Personal life Her father was Christopher Ewart-Biggs a British diplomat who was killed by the IRA in Dublin in 1976. Her mother was Jane Rand ...

. Christopher became British Ambassador to Ireland, and after 12 days' service was assassinated by the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

on 21 July 1976. Ewart-Biggs learned of his death over her car radio while she was driving her Triumph Stag, (a gift from her husband) in London. Subsequently, she joined the peace movement founded by Mairead Corrigan and

Betty Williams Elizabeth Williams ( Smyth; 22 May 1943 – 17 March 2020) was a peace activist from Northern Ireland. She was a co-recipient with Mairead Corrigan of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her work as a cofounder of Community of Peace People, a ...

, and launched a memorial fund in her husband's name to promote peace and reconciliation in Ireland, which founded the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize. She joined the lecture tour and gave regular talks to the Women's Institute throughout the UK.

Politics

Her interest in politics increased following her husband's death and Ewart-Biggs joined the Labour Party. She attempted to become an

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

, given her knowledge of the European Community from her husband's posting in Brussels. The party were wary of her background and lack of constituency experience, which also led to her not being selected as a candidate for the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. From 1984 she was President of the

of the

United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

. After conducting constituency work, she became a

as Baroness Ewart-Biggs, of Ellis Green in the county of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, on 22 May 1981, making her maiden speech in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

on Britain in the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

on 17 June 1981. Lady Ewart-Biggs spoke on home affairs, Ireland and was on committees dedicated to helping people. In 1983 she was appointed Labour front-bench spokesman on home affairs, and additionally consumer affairs and overseas development in 1987. In 1988 she became an opposition whip. She was a founder member of the Council of Charter 88 and in 1989 wrote a public letter on its behalf to Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

calling for a written constitution. She was described by fellow peer

Alma Birk 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 B ...

as "considerate, helpful and with a sense of humour" and said that "she was a popular and highly regarded member of the House of Lords (where I first met her) and much loved by the Labour group of peers".

Death

In 1991, she was diagnosed with cancer. She married Kevin Patrick O'Sullivan, a consulting engineer and her partner for 14 years, on 18 September 1992, and three weeks later she died in Charing Cross Hospital. Her tombstone was carved by John Shaw.

Footnotes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewart-Biggs, Jane Ewart-Biggs, Baroness 1929 births 1992 deaths People educated at Downe House School Labour Party (UK) life peers UNICEF people Deaths from cancer in England British officials of the United Nations