Lucy Annie Middleton (née Cox; 9 May 1894 – 20 November 1983) was a Labour politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Personal life

In 1936, she married James Middleton,

General Secretary of the Labour Party The General Secretary of the Labour Party is the most senior employee of the British Labour Party, and acts as the non-voting secretary to the National Executive Committee. When there is a vacancy the National Executive Committee selects a provi ...

.Middleton, Lucy Annie
, ''

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 ...

Career

In the 1945 landslide general election, Middleton was elected Member of Parliament for

Plymouth Sutton Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. History Pl ...

, gaining the seat 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 ...

, after the retirement of her predecessor

Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor's first husband was America ...

. Middleton held Plymouth Sutton until

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, when it was gained by another member of the Astor family,

Jakie Astor Major Sir John Jacob "Jakie" Astor VII, (29 August 1918 – 10 September 2000) was an English politician and sportsman. He was a member of the prominent Astor family. Early life John Jacob Astor VII (Jakie) was born 29 August 1918, the younge ...

. Lucy Middleton was an active member of Wimbledon Labour Party when the idea of publishing a book on the contribution of women to the labour movement was put forward as a way to celebrate International Women's Year. The Labour Party agreed to publish the book, and Lucy Middleton edited the essays of the 9 younger women she had invited to contribute. When finished the Labour Party General Secretary decided there was no money to publish the book, but Croom Helm agreed to publish it as "Women in the Labour Movement, the British experience" in 1977.

References

External links

* 1894 births 1983 deaths Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Devon UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 20th-century British women politicians Politicians from Plymouth, Devon {{England-Labour-UK-MP-stub