Patricia Frances Elizabeth Strauss, Lady Strauss (; 21 October 1909 – 16 July 1987) was a

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Labour politician, feminist and patron of the arts. Before her marriage Strauss had been a professional artist's model - one of Russell Flint's favourites - then a journalist. On 21 March 1932, Patricia O'Flynn married

George Strauss George Russell Strauss, Baron Strauss PC (18 July 1901 – 5 June 1993) was a long-serving British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for 46 years and was Father of the House of Commons from 1974 to 1979. Early life ...

, a former Member of Parliament, who soon returned to office."Lady Strauss", ''

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 ...

'', 21 July 1987 The couple lived on 'millionaire's row' at 1 Kensington Palace Gardens inherited from George's father; it was refurbished by modernist interior designer Coats Wells in 1931-32. Patricia and George Strauss had two sons, Roger and Brian, and a daughter, Hilary.''Obituary 'Lady Strauss', Times,'' England, 21 July 1987, p.12. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Strauss wrote two books on prominent personalities in the Labour Party: ''Bevin and Co.'' and ''Cripps, Advocate and Rebel''.Strauss, Lady Patricia Frances Strauss
, ''

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'' Strauss wrote for popular magazines including articles such as 'Bevin and Morrison' for Harper's Magazine. She was also a war correspondent with the ''

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''. Touring the United States in 1942, she addressed a lunch at the New Jersey League of Women Voters in America, stating 'the last war gave the women in England the vote, and this war is showing them how to use it'. An ardent feminist, Strauss also wrote a story titled, 'The Lady Is an Engineer', published in ''

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''. In 1945 Strauss became a director and member of the ''Tribune'', the democratic socialist periodical founded in 1937 by her husband and

Stafford Cripps Sir Richard Stafford Cripps (24 April 1889 – 21 April 1952) was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, and diplomat. A wealthy lawyer by background, he first entered Parliament at a by-election in 1931, and was one of a handful of La ...

. Strauss stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in Kensington South at the

1945 UK general election The 1945 United Kingdom general election was a national election held on 5 July 1945, but polling in some constituencies was delayed by some days, and the counting of votes was delayed until 26 July to provide time for overseas votes to be bro ...

, losing heavily. In 1946, she was elected to the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

, representing

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. She chaired the council's Parks Committee from 1947 to 1949, championing the provision of allotments within London parks and the more inclusive use of the parks' facilities; later she chaired its Supplies Committee until 1952. Strauss led an unsuccessful campaign for the government to require 0.5% of the cost of all new buildings to be spent on art, and while chairing the Parks Committee, organised a major exhibition of international sculpture in

Battersea Park Battersea Park is a 200-acre (83-hectare) green space at Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth in London. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea and was opened in 1858. The park occupies marshland reclai ...

. Among her most notable successes, The Open Air Exhibition of Sculpture held in

in 1948, overcame significant logistical challenges and post-war shortages. Over 148,900 people attended the Open Air Exhibition during May to September 1948. Strauss, a keen art collector, loaned ''Reclining Girl'' by

Dora Gordine Dora Gordine (8 June 1895 – 29 December 1991) was an Estonian Jewish Modernist figurative and portraitist sculptor. Her early career was influenced by the Noor Eesti (‘Young Estonia’) group of artists who favoured Art Nouveau. She moved ...

to the Open Air Exhibition. However, as the exhibition opened, her home was burgled by a war deserter. She remained on the council until 1958, but by this time was focusing on sitting on the boards of numerous arts institutions. A governor of the

Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

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and

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

from 1951, she was later also on the boards of the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

London Opera Centre The London Opera Centre, a school for the training of opera singers and other opera professionals, existed in England between 1963 and 1978. It was located in the former Troxy Cinema on Commercial Road in London's East End Borough of Stepney (now T ...

Sadler's Wells Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English. ...

and

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, standing down from most of these posts only in 1985. Ennobled, George was made a baron in 1979, and Patricia therefore became Lady Strauss. After her death in 1987, George Strauss married his long-time companion, sculptor Benita Armstrong. For a portrait of Patricia Strauss see National Portrait Gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, Patricia 1909 births 1987 deaths Labour Party (UK) councillors Members of London County Council Spouses of life peers British baronesses Women councillors in England