Maria Fyfe (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' O'Neill; 25 November 1938 – 3 December 2020) was a Scottish politician and educator who served 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 of ...

for Glasgow Maryhill from 1987 to 2001. She was Deputy Shadow Minister for Women from 1988 to 1991, Convener of the Scottish Group of Labour MPs from 1991 to 1992 and

front bench In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then kn ...

spokesperson for Scotland from 1992 to 1995. Fyfe campaigned for 50-50 representation of women in the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

Early life

She was the daughter of James O'Neill, a clerk, tram driver and shopworker, and Margaret Lacey, a former shop assistant. She was born in Gorbals, Glasgow, and was educated at Notre Dame High School. She became a member of the Labour Party in 1960. She returned to education as a mature student, studying Economic History at the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

and graduated in 1975 with a BA (Hons). She worked as a senior lecturer in the Trade Union Studies Unit at Glasgow Central College of Commerce from 1978 to 1987. In 1980, she was elected to Glasgow District Council, serving first as Vice-Convener of the Finance Committee from 1980 to 1984 followed by being Convener of the Personnel Committee until 1987, when she was elected to

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Parliamentary career

At the 1987 general election, Fyfe was returned to

as Member for Glasgow Maryhill, a position she occupied until the 2001 general election. She served as Deputy Shadow Minister for Women from 1988 to 1991, Convener of the Scottish Group of Labour MPs from 1991 to 1992, and

spokesperson for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

from 1992 to 1995. She did not stand for reelection at the 2001 General Election and was succeeded by

Ann McKechin Ann McKechin (born 22 April 1961) is a former British Labour Party politician and was Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Maryhill from 2001 until 2005 and Glasgow North from 2005 to 2015. She was a junior minister under Gordon Brown before b ...

. Fyfe was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

D.Univ. by the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 2002. She was quoted as saying: "I am proudest of having been involved in the 50-50 campaign to ensure that the

started life with an almost equal representation of women, up there with the

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n countries". After standing down Fyfe continued to campaign politically including on the issue of homelessness. She also chaired the campaign to erect a statue of Glasgow councillor and rent strike campaigner Mary Barbour.

Personal life

She was from humble beginnings being born in a slum. The then Maria O'Neill married James Joseph Fyfe in 1964; the couple had two sons. Her husband pre-deceased her. Fyfe was interviewed in 2012 as part of

The History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

's oral history project. She wrote two autobiographies, the first entitled ''A Problem Like Maria'' describing her work as an MP, and a second book ''Singing in the Streets'', about her life growing up in the Gorbals in the aftermath of the Second World War, as well as her earlier political career. Fyfe died on 3 December 2020, at age 82, after a short illness.

References

‘Fyfe, Maria’, Who's Who 2009, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2008
accessed 28 April 2009

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fyfe, Maria 1938 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Scottish women politicians 20th-century Scottish politicians 21st-century Scottish women politicians 21st-century Scottish politicians Alumni of the University of Strathclyde Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Maryhill Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies Place of birth missing Place of death missing Scottish Labour Party (1976) politicians Scottish Labour MPs Scottish Labour councillors Scottish socialists Transport and General Workers' Union-sponsored MPs UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 Women councillors in Glasgow