Phyllis Stedman, Baroness Stedman,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(née Adams; 14 July 1916 – 8 June 1996) was a British

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who briefly served as a minister. Born in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, Stedman attended Peterborough County Grammar School, then worked as a

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in her home town, and served in the

National Fire Service The National Fire Service (NFS) was the single fire service created in Great Britain in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service (Northern Ireland) was created in 1942. History The NFS was created in August 1941 by t ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

during

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. After marrying Harry Stedman in 1941, she helped run his family horticultural business.Phyllis Stedman profile
''

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''; accessed 26 July 2014. In 1946, Stedman was elected to the

Soke of Peterborough The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Anglican Diocese of Peterborough, Diocese of Peterborough. It was part of Northamptonshire, but was administered by Soke of Peterborough County Council, its own ...

County Council, representing the Labour Party, serving on it and its successors until 1976. She was the

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for

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before the 1951 general election, but withdrew due to illness. She was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 1965 New Year Honours. At the 1966 general election, Stedman was the

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for Michael Ward. When it became apparent that the result was very close, Stedman requested repeated recounts. After the seventh recount - a record which stands to this day - Ward was defeated by the incumbent, Harmar Nicholls, by three votes. In 1972, Stedman was appointed to the Peterborough

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Development Corporation. On 25 June 1974, she was created a

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as Baroness Stedman, of

Longthorpe Longthorpe is an area of the city of Peterborough, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. Located west from the city centre, the area covers . For electoral purposes it forms part of Peterborough West ward. A 1st century Roman fo ...

in the

City of Peterborough The City of Peterborough, is a district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of o ...

, to bolster the Labour Party in the

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, and was appointed as a

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. In January 1979, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport and Water Resources. When the Labour Party lost the 1979 general election, she was moved to become their spokesperson on the environment. Stedman defected to the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(SDP) on its formation in 1981. She became the party's chief whip in the Lords in 1986. Most of the SDP peers opposed the party's merger with 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. For example, while the political systems ...

in 1988. She led them into the continuing Social Democratic Party and served as its leader in the Lords. When that party dissolved in 1990, she became a

crossbencher A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stedman of Longthorpe, Phyllis Stedman, Baroness 1916 births 1996 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Councillors in Cambridgeshire Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Politicians from Peterborough Social Democratic Party (UK) life peers Place of death missing English librarians British women librarians British librarians British firefighters Crossbench life peers Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988–1990) peers British women firefighters 20th-century British women politicians Women councillors in England 20th-century British librarians 20th-century women librarians