Mary Elizabeth Henderson Stewart, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch, (; 8 May 1903 – 28 December 1984) was a British politician and educator. She was a baroness in her own right and the wife of Labour Foreign Secretary, Michael Stewart.

Early life and education

The daughter of commercial traveller Herbert Birkinshaw and Isabella née Garbutt, Mary was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. The family moved when she was four and she was educated at

King Edward VI High School for Girls King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS) is an all-girls public school (United Kingdom), public school located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. It was founded in 1883 and occupies the same site as, and is twinned with the King Edward's Scho ...

(KEHS)

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, and

Bedford College, University of London Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for education of women, women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advanceme ...

, graduating with a BA in Philosophy in 1928. She taught psychology and sociology to

Workers' Educational Association Workers' Educational Associations (WEA) are not-for-profit bodies that deliver further education to adults in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. WEA UK WEA UK, founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult edu ...

students.

Career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Stewart served with the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the British Royal Air Force during the World War II, Second World War. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 181,000 at its peak ...

(WAAF) at locations around the country. After the war she took an interest in education and psychology and Barbara Wooton encouraged her to become a magistrate in the juvenile courts. She worked for the

, as a tutor until 1964. She became 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 ...

Executive, serving as chairman in 1963–64. She wrote papers on the Fabians' behalf arguing that juveniles should be dealt with more leniently. In 1964 she published a short paper titled "Unpaid Public Service" which looked at the role of volunteers on committees. She argued that expenses should be paid and that these committees should meet in the evenings. She was also involved in local hospitals, schools and became the chair of the East London Juvenile Court magistrates.Duncan Sutherland, "Stewart, Mary Elizabeth Henderson, Baroness Stewart of Alvechurch (1903–1984)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 200
accessed 1 April 2017
/ref>

House of Lords

Stewart 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 Stewart of Alvechurch, of

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

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 January 1975. She was introduced to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

on 28 January 1975. She 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 26 March 1975 during a debate on

direct grant grammar school A direct grant grammar school was a type of selective secondary school in the United Kingdom that existed between 1945 and 1976. One quarter of the places in these schools were directly funded by central government, while the remainder attracted ...

Personal life

She married an advertising clerk named Robert Godfrey Goodyear in 1931 and they were divorced in 1941. She then married Michael Stewart two months later on 26 July 1941. She and her second husband were one of the few couples to have held titles in their own right. Stewart died on 28 December 1984.Stewart
Queen's University Belfast, Retrieved 1 April 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart of Alvechurch, Mary Stewart, Baroness People educated at King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham Chairs of the Fabian Society Labour Party (UK) life peers Women's Auxiliary Air Force officers 1903 births 1984 deaths 20th-century British women politicians Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Spouses of life peers Alumni of Bedford College, London