Alma Lillian Birk, Baroness Birk (née Wilson; 22 September 1917 – 29 December 1996) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

journalist, Labour Party politician and Government minister.

Early life and education

Alma Lillian Wilson was born on 22 September 1917 in Brighton. Her parents were Barnett Wilson, who ran a "successful greeting-card company", and Alice Wilson. She was educated at

South Hampstead High School South Hampstead High School is a private day school in Hampstead, north-west London, England, which was founded by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST). It is for girls aged 4–18 with selective entry at ages 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+ (Sixth Form). ...

before studying economics at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

Political career

After graduating, Birk became involved in Labour Party politics. She unsuccessfully ran for election to

Salisbury City Council Salisbury City Council is a Parish councils in England, parish-level council for Salisbury, England. It was established 2009 structural changes to local government in England, in April 2009 and is based in the city's historic Salisbury Guildhal ...

as a Labour candidate before being elected to Finchley Borough Council, where she served as leader of the Labour group from 1950 to 1953. She unsuccessfully stood as a Labour candidate to become a Member of Parliament on three occasions: for Ruislip-Northwood in the 1950 general election and for Portsmouth West in the

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 Uni ...

and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

general elections. Birk was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baroness Birk of

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

on 15 September 1967. In her maiden speech she called for an enhanced probation service to help deal with

juvenile crime Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior younger than the statutory age of majority. These acts would be considered crimes if the individuals committing them were older. The term ...

: In 1969 she was made chair of the Health Education Council. She served as a

Baroness-in-Waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

between March and October 1974. From 1974 to 1979 she was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

, and then became

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

in the Privy Council Office in 1979. In opposition, she spoke in the House of Lords on the environment between 1979 and 1986, and on arts, libraries, heritage and broadcasting between 1986 and 1993. She was a member of the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society () is a History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom, British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in ...

and the

Howard League for Penal Reform The Howard League for Penal Reform is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. It was founded as the Howard Association in 1866 and changed its name in 1921 ...

Personal life

She married Ellis Birk, a solicitor and director of the Daily Mirror Group, on 24 December 1939. The couple had two children. Their granddaughter, Rebecca Birk, is Rabbi of Finchley Progressive Synagogue. In the 1960s she became associate editor of ''

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

''. During this period Birk also sat as a magistrate in an ordinary magistrates' court and in a matrimonial court, having become a justice of the peace in 1952. She was chair of Redbridge Jewish Youth Centre between 1970 and 1996 and on the executive of the Council of Christians and Jews between 1971 and 1977. She was the president of the Association of Art Institutions from 1984 to 1996, and the president of the Craft Arts Design Association from 1984 to 1990. She was made a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

in 1980. She also served on the Board of Governors of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

References

Sources

* 1917 births 1996 deaths Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II English Jews Jewish British politicians Alumni of the London School of Economics Politicians from Brighton Mass media people from Brighton People educated at South Hampstead High School {{life-peer-stub Governors of the British Film Institute