Janet Ray Michie, Baroness Michie of Gallanach (''née'' Bannerman; 4 February 1934 – 6 May 2008) was a Scottish

speech therapist Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

and

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

politician. She 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 o ...

(MP) for

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, and then became a life peer in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. She was the first peer to pledge the oath of allegiance in the House of Lords in

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

Early life

Janet Ray Bannerman was born in the Old Manse,

Balmaha Balmaha (Gaelic: ''Baile Mo Thatha'') is a village on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond in the council area of Stirling, Scotland. The village is a popular tourist destination for picnickers and day trippers from Glasgow as well as walkers on t ...

, on the eastern shore of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

, the second of the four children of Jenny Murray (Ray) (''née'' Mundell) and John Bannerman (later Lord Bannerman of Kildonan). Her father was a farm manager to the

Duke of Montrose Duke of Montrose (named for Montrose, Angus) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created anew in 1707, for James Graham, 4th Marquess of Montrose, great-grandson of famed James Graham, 1st Marquess ...

, a former Scotland rugby player and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician. In her youth, she spoke at political meetings while waiting for her father to arrive. He fought

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

at the

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgarian ...

, and Inverness at the 1950 general election. He surprised many by narrowly losing the

1954 Inverness by-election The 1954 Inverness by-election was a by-election held on 21 December 1954 for the British House of Commons constituency of Inverness. The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sitting Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) Lord Malcol ...

, coming close again at the general elections in

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 ...

and 1955. He fought, and narrowly lost, the

1961 Paisley by-election The 1961 Paisley by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 20 April 1961 for the British House of Commons constituency of Paisley in Scotland. The election was caused by the appointment of the sitting Labour member Douglas Harold Jo ...

, and fought Paisley again at the 1964 general election, before becoming a life peer in December 1967. Michie was educated at

Aberdeen High School for Girls Harlaw Academy is a six-year comprehensive secondary school situated 200 yards from the junction of Union Street and Holburn Street in the centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is directly adjacent to St Margaret's School for Girls. The academy dra ...

, Lansdowne House School (Edinburgh), and the Edinburgh College of Speech Therapy. She married Iain Michie in 1957, and she followed his work with the Royal Army Medical Corps for 16 years in the UK and overseas. They had three daughters. She continued as a

after they settled in Oban, working at the county hospital and becoming Area Speech Therapist for the Argyll and Clyde Health Board in 1977.

Political career

Following in the footsteps of her father, she entered politics and became Chairman of Argyll Liberal Association from 1973 to 1976, and then vice-Chairman of the

Scottish Liberal Party The Scottish Liberal Party, the section of the Liberal Party in Scotland, was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it ...

from 1977 to 1979. She stood as

candidate for Argyll and Bute three times, losing in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, but ultimately defeating Conservative minister John Mackay to secure election as

at the 1987 general election, becoming the Liberals' only female MP. She took the oath of allegiance in 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. T ...

, and joined the Liberal Democrats on the party's formation in 1988. She increased her majority in the next two general elections, gaining the confidence of the voters in her scattered constituency of peninsulas and islands. She was a Liberal Democrat spokesman on transport and rural development from 1987 to 1988, on women's issues from 1988 to 1994, and on Scotland from 1988 to 1997. She was an advocate of

home rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

for Scotland and the promotion of and development of the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

language. She was also chair of the

Scottish Liberal Democrats The Scottish Liberal Democrats ( gd, Pàrtaidh Libearal Deamocratach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Leeberal Democrats) is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, a part of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats. The party currently holds 4 o ...

from 1992 to 1993. She was appointed a member of the panel of chairmen by

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

Betty Boothroyd Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd (born 8 October 1929) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000. From 1992 to 2000, she served as Speaker of the House of ...

in her last term in the Commons, from 1997 to 2001. She supported the campaigns to end submarine operations of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

, to hold another inquiry into the Chinook crash on the

Mull of Kintyre The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...

in 1994, and the successful bid for the residents of

Gigha Gigha (; gd, Giogha, italic=yes; sco, Gigha) or the Isle of Gigha (and formerly Gigha Island) is an island off the west coast of Kintyre in Scotland. The island forms part of Argyll and Bute and has a population of 163 people. The climate is ...

to buy their own island. In 1992 Ray Michie became a member of the House of Commons Select Committee on Scottish Affairs. Later, she also became a joint Vice-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group on the

Whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...

Industry. She stood down from Parliament at the 2001 general election, being replaced by Alan Reid. She was made a life peer as Baroness Michie of Gallanach, of Oban in

on 14 July 2001. She was the first peer to pledge the oath of allegiance in

when being introduced to the Lords. At different points in her career, she was Vice-President of the

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (abbreviated as RCSLT) is the professional body for speech and language therapists in the UK and a registered charity. It was established on 6 January 1945 to promote the study of speech therapy ...

, Honorary Associate of the

National Council of Women of Great Britain The National Council of Women exists to co-ordinate the voluntary efforts of women across Great Britain. Founded as the National Union of Women Workers, it said that it would "promote sympathy of thought and purpose among the women of Great Brita ...

, and Honorary President of the Clyde Fishermen's Association, and also held honorary positions in the

An Comunn Gàidhealach An Comunn Gàidhealach (; literally "The Gaelic Association"), commonly known as An Comunn, is a Scottish organisation that supports and promotes the Scottish Gaelic language and Scottish Gaelic culture and history at local, national and internat ...

, the Scottish National Farmers' Union and the Scottish Crofting Foundation, and was a participant in the early days of the

Scottish Constitutional Convention The Scottish Constitutional Convention (SCC) was an association of Scottish political parties, churches and other civic groups, that developed a framework for Scottish devolution. It is credited as having paved the way for the establishment of t ...

. She chaired the West Highland Health Services Solutions Group. In August 2007 she was appointed to the Scottish Broadcasting Commission established by the Scottish Government. Before the Commission was able to report Michie died at her home in Oban after receiving treatment for cancer."'Tireless' Lib Dem stalwart dies"
BBC News, 7 May 2008. She died two days after her Liberal Democrat colleague in the House of Lords,

Richard Holme Richard Gordon Holme, Baron Holme of Cheltenham CBE, PC (27 May 1936 – 4 May 2008) was a British Liberal Democrat politician. Educated at University of Oxford ( BA Jurisprudence; St John's College) and Harvard Business School, Holme joined t ...

. She was survived by two daughters, having been predeceased by her husband and a third daughter.

References

*Obituaries:
''The Daily Telegraph'', 9 May 2008

''The Guardian'', 9 May 2008

''The Times'', 9 May 2008

External links

profile at the site of Liberal Democrats(page not found) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michie, Ray 1934 births 2008 deaths Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Scottish Liberal Party MPs Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs Michie of Gallanach UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 Daughters of life peers Deaths from cancer in Scotland People educated at Harlaw Academy People from Oban People from Stirling (council area) 20th-century Scottish women politicians 20th-century Scottish politicians 21st-century Scottish women politicians 21st-century Scottish politicians National Council of Women of Great Britain members Michie