First Woman Is Seated in the British House of Commons
On December 1, 1919, Lady Nancy Astor made history by becoming the first woman to take her seat in the British House of Commons, marking a pivotal moment in the struggle for women's rights in the UK. This milestone occurred during a period of significant political upheaval, as women were just beginning to gain the right to vote and participate in government. Although Astor was born in the United States and was not the first woman elected to Parliament—Constance Markiewicz had been elected in 1918 but did not take her seat—she is recognized as the first woman to actually serve in the Commons. Lady Astor came from a wealthy American family and became a member of the British aristocracy through her marriage to Waldorf Astor. Throughout her time in office, which lasted until 1945, she championed various women's rights causes while also facing criticism for her views on appeasement in relation to Nazi Germany. Astor's election represented a significant advancement for women in politics, reflecting the gradual shift in societal attitudes towards gender equality in governance.
First Woman Is Seated in the British House of Commons
First Woman Is Seated in the British House of Commons
On December 1, 1919, Lady Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor took the oath of office required of a member of the British House of Commons, and in so doing became the first woman to be seated in that body. This was a time of great turmoil in British politics, during which women were only reluctantly being granted the right to vote and participate in government, and so her taking office represented a significant victory for women's rights.
Lady Astor was actually neither British nor the first woman elected to Parliament. She was born near Danville, Virginia, in the United States to the prominent Langhorne family and grew up to be an attractive socialite. After her first husband died she married Waldorf Astor and thereby became a member of the famous Astor family, whose interests in fur trading and real estate had made them wealthy and powerful.
As was common at the time, the Astors sought to add a certain level of Old World class to their recently acquired wealth by obtaining a European title of nobility. Her husband's father had thus become Viscount Astor in England and taken a seat in the House of Lords, while her husband had a seat in the House of Commons as his son. When Nancy Astor's father-in-law died, her husband took the seat in the House of Lords, and Lady Astor decided to run for his seat in Commons. She won the election by a substantial majority and took office on December 1, 1919. The Irish patriot Constance Markiewicz had actually been elected to Parliament before Lady Astor in 1918 but chose not to take her seat, and so Lady Astor became the first woman seated in the House of Commons. She stayed in office until 1945, actively supporting various women's rights issues, but incurring some unpopularity for her pro-appeasement stance in the 1930s with respect to Nazi Germany.