Mary Ada Pickford, (5 July 1884 – 6 March 1934) was an English politician, industrialist and historian. After working to support the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

over several years, she was elected as a

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 ...

in 1931, and specialised in Indian issues; she also used her knowledge of the factory system gained while working as an inspector during the First World War to speak about employment issues. Pickford supported her constituency through the depression of the 1930s but died suddenly of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at the age of 49.

Family

Pickford was the daughter of

William Pickford William Pickford (1861–1938) was an English football administrator, who played an important role in the early development of The Football Association, in which he was its most recent President not to come from the British royal family. Early ...

who was then a leading barrister Michael Stenton and Stephen Lees, "Who's Who of British MPs", vol. III (Harvester Press, 1979), p. 282. on the Northern circuit. William Pickford went on to rise through the profession of law, becoming a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1893, a

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from 1901 and a Judge of the High Court of Justice in 1907. In 1914 he became a Lord Justice of Appeal and President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division from 1918. William Pickford received a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

Baron Sterndale Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

in November 1918 (from which Mary Pickford received the title '

the Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

') and he served as

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales a ...

from 1919 until his death in 1923. Her mother Alice (née Brooke), died only two months after her birth.

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revis ...

vol XIII (St Catherine Press, 1940), p. 289.

Education and war service

Mary Pickford attended

Wycombe Abbey School , motto_translation = Go in faith , established = 1896 , type = Independent boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Headmistress , head = J. Duncan , chair_label = Chair ...

, under Miss

Frances Dove Dame Jane Frances Dove, DBE, JP (27 June 1847 – 21 June 1942) was an English women's campaigner, who founded Wycombe Abbey and other girls' schools. Early life and education Born in Bordeaux, France the eldest of ten children of Revd. Joh ...

. In the summer of 1904 at the age of 19 she was presented at Court as a

débutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...

,"Their Majesties' Court", ''The Times'', 16 May 1904, p. 8. and she also escorted her father at social events for the judiciary."The Judges At The Mansion House", ''The Times'', 19 June 1909, p. 8. She went up to

Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, but her education was interrupted by war service. She worked as an unpaid inspector for the factory department of the Home Office, and from 1917 to 1921 she worked as an assistant on the compilation of the Official History of the War, as a member of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. In 1921 she graduated, both BA and MA, from Oxford."Miss Pickford, M.P." (obituary), ''The Times'', 7 March 1934, p. 16.

Career

Early in 1926, Pickford was appointed as a member of the Committee on Education and Industry set up by the Government."Committee on Education and Industry", ''The Times'', 1 February 1926, p. 9. She was an advisor to the British Government delegation at the tenth session of the International Labour Conference at Geneva in 1927,"International Labour Conference", ''The Times'', 26 May 1927, p. 15. and at the 1929 general election she was adopted as

candidate in

Farnworth Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southeast of Bolton, 4.3 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and northwest of Manchester. Historically in Lancashire, Farnworth lies on the River Ir ...

. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' regarded her as a candidate "of outstanding personality"."The Lancashire Candidates", ''The Times'', 13 May 1929, p. 18. She ran a vigorous campaign against a Labour majority of under 3,000,"Lancashire Miners", ''The Times'', 27 May 1929, p. 8. but Labour succeeded in winning the seat with an increased majority of 11,214."The Times House of Commons, 1929", p. 88. Shortly after the election it was announced that Pickford had been appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the King's birthday honours list "for public services"."King's Birthday Honours", ''The Times'', 3 June 1929, p. 10. In July 1929 Pickford was named to a Conservative Party committee which was considering the replies from the constituencies to a questionnaire asking the reasons for the party's defeat."Conservative Policy", ''The Times'', 17 July 1929, p. 13. She spoke on "Social Legislation" in a Conservative Party lecture at the Ladies' Carlton Club in the spring of 1930,"Women Politicians", ''The Times'', 15 April 1930, p. 10. and followed that the next year by talking about the

Alternative Vote Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a type of ranked preferential voting method. It uses a majority voting rule in single-winner elections where there are more than two candidates. It is commonly referred to as ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the Un ...

and

Proportional Representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

."Arrangements for to-day", ''The Times'', 25 March 1931, p. 17. She was appointed by the executive committee of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations to represent them on the Board of Governors of Bonar Law Memorial College."Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations", ''The Times'', 11 March 1931, p. 9.

Parliament

At the 1931 general election, Pickford was adopted as Conservative candidate for Hammersmith North, where Labour had a majority of 3,857 at the previous election in 1929."The Times House of Commons, 1931", p. 21. She supported

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...

's policy of

tariffs A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and polic ...

, and declared that the Government would have been able to avoid any cuts in unemployment benefit had they cut down on abuses 18 months before. In the circumstances of the election, she received support from local members of the

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 ...

with speakers and canvassers, and Conservatives from Kensington South (which was unopposed) came over to help."Hammersmith", ''The Times'', 24 October 1931, p. 6. She won election with a majority of 6,977 over the incumbent Labour MP; candidates from the Communist Party and the New Party lost their deposits. Pickford made her

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

on 23 November, referring to her experience as a factory inspector in arguing that employing women and young persons for long hours resulted in lower output, and that a day of eight or nine hours produced more than one of twelve hours. She called for the National Government to bring up to date the factory and workshop legislation."Parliament", ''The Times'', 24 November 1931, p. 8.

India

Early in 1932, she was named as a member of the Franchise Committee which was to assist the

Round Table Conference The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–1932 were a series of peace conferences organized by the British Government and Indian political personalities to discuss constitutional reforms in India. These started in November 1930 and ended in Dec ...

on India by making recommendations on the conditions in which Indians could obtain the right to vote."Indian Reforms", ''The Times'', 14 January 1932, p. 7. In connection with her duties, she travelled to India in the spring of 1932,"Progress Of Indian States", ''The Times'', 23 May 1932, p. 9. returning at the end of May to a dinner in her honour by the women MPs."Political Notes", ''The Times'', 25 May 1932, p. 14. Pickford defended the finding of her Committee which would increase the electorate for the provincial councils to 36,000,000 against accusations from

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

(among others) that it would be unmanageably large; she stated that they would not all hold elections at the same time, and the federal council would have a much smaller electorate of 8,400,000."Conservatives And India" (letter), ''The Times'', 14 October 1932, p. 8. After the conclusion of the Franchise Committee and the Round Table, Pickford spoke in a House of Commons debate saying that legitimate Indian aspirations should be satisfied and that the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

would resume its civil disobedience if they were not."The Indian Scheme", ''The Times'', 28 March 1933, p. 14. In April 1933 Pickford was one of 16 MPs named to a Joint Select Committee of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

and

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 the future constitution of India."The Joint Select Committee", ''The Times'', 7 April 1933, p. 16.

Social issues

Pickford also became Chairman of Whitelands Training College, which trained women teachers."Whitelands College" (letter), ''The Times'', 8 December 1932, p. 10. She called on the Government to introduce legislation to restrict the working hours of young people, saying that the situation where a boy or girl of 14 could work for 74 hours a week should not be allowed to continue;"Parliament", ''The Times'', 18 March 1933, p. 7. however she also led a delegation of 21 women's organisations to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Home Office in June 1933, calling for women working in supervision and management to be exempted from a general ban on the night employment of women."Night Employment Of Women", ''The Times'', 22 June 1933, p. 11. In December 1932 Pickford spoke in a Liberal Party debate on housing in London, commenting that in her constituency some working-class people paid more than half their income in rent. She called for a national programme to supply housing to be let at low rents."Parliament", ''The Times'', 8 December 1932, p. 7. She was a member of a

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

Fund inquiry into the effects of unemployment on children."Unemployment", ''The Times'', 5 July 1933, p. 11.

Death

Pickford was taken suddenly ill in March 1934, and three days later died of

at the family home in

King Sterndale King Sterndale is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. It is located in the Peak District, 4 miles east of Buxton. It has a population of about 30, increasing to 133 at the 2011 Census. The two hamlets of Cowdale and Staden also li ...

, Derbyshire."Miss Mary Pickford, M.P", ''The Times'', 7 March 1934, p. 14. Tributes were paid by senior politicians, with the Chairman of the Joint Select Committee Lord Lothian referring to her as "one .. whose charm and good comradeship will indeed be sadly missed by each one of her colleagues". Sir Samuel Hoare remarked on her "mind ready for action, a sympathy and a sanity that never failed, and a vigorous and human personality that always impressed itself on friends and colleagues.""Miss Pickford, M.P.", ''The Times'', 8 March 1934, p. 18.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickford, Mary Ada 1884 births 1934 deaths Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford British debutantes Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Deaths from pneumonia in England UK MPs 1931–1935 People educated at Wycombe Abbey Daughters of barons Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies 20th-century British women politicians 20th-century English women 20th-century English people