Susan Petronella Thomas, Baroness Thomas of Walliswood, (20 December 1935 – 6 October 2023) was a British businesswoman and

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

politician.

Early life and education

Thomas was the daughter of John Arrow and Ebba Fordham. She was educated at

Cranborne Chase School Cranborne Chase School was an independent school, independent boarding school for girls, and was located in the English counties of Dorset and (later) Wiltshire, between 1946 and 1990. History Cranborne Chase School opened in 1946 at Crichel ...

and

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

, where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in history in 1957.

Career

Thomas worked for the

National Economic Development Office The National Economic Development Council (NEDC) was an economic planning forum set up in 1962 in the United Kingdom to bring together management, trades unions and government – a form of tripartism – in an attempt to address Britain's relativ ...

from 1971 to 1974 and was chief executive of the Council of Europe of the British Clothing Industries from 1974 to 1978. Between 1985 and 1994, she was a school governor. Thomas contested

Mole Valley Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking, and the district's other town is Leatherhead. The largest villages are Ashtead, Fetcham and Great Bookham, in the northern third of the district. ...

for the SDP-Liberal Alliance in the

1983 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 of the ...

and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

s, finishing second of three candidates on both occasions, and receiving 14,973 votes (30.7%) and 15,613 votes (29.9%) respectively. She also stood in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

for the Liberal Democrats in the

1994 European Parliament election The 1994 European Parliamentary election was a European election held across the 12 European Union member states in June 1994. This election saw the merge of the European People's Party and European Democrats, an increase in the overall numbe ...

, but failed to be elected.

Personal life and death

In 1958, she had married David Churchill Thomas. They have three daughters, including the author Tom Cain. Baroness Thomas died on 6 October 2023, at the age of 87.

Honours

In the

1989 Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in suppl ...

, Thomas 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) "for political service". Thomas was appointed in January 1996 a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey. On 6 October 1994, she 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 Thomas of Walliswood, of Dorking in the County of

. She sat in the House of Lords until 18 May 2016, at which point she ceased to be a member pursuant to section 2 of the

House of Lords Reform Act 2014 The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was a private member's bill. It received royal assent on 14 May 2014. The Act allows members of the House of Lords to retire or resign – actions previous ...

, having failed to attend during the whole of the 2015–16 session without being on leave of absence.

References

External links

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood
profile at the site of Liberal Democrats * 1935 births 2023 deaths Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Deputy lieutenants of Surrey Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Thomas of Walliswood Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Officers of the Order of the British Empire Peers removed under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 {{Life-peer-stub