Astor, Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess

Astor, Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess

▪ British politician
in full  Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor of Hever Castle , née  Langhorne  
born May 19, 1879, Danville, Virginia, U.S.
died May 2, 1964, Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, England
 first woman to sit in the British House of Commons, known in public and private life for her great energy and wit.

      In 1897 she married Robert Gould Shaw of Boston, from whom she was divorced in 1903, and in 1906 she married Waldorf Astor, great-great-grandson of John Jacob Astor. When her husband succeeded to his father's viscountcy and thus relinquished his seat in the House of Commons, Lady Astor, who had been his constant comrade-in-arms in his constituency at Plymouth, was adopted as Unionist candidate in his place and, after a stirring campaign, was elected by a substantial majority on November 28, 1919. Lady Astor was returned for Plymouth at subsequent general elections until her retirement from Parliament in 1945.

 Apart from questions relating exclusively to women, her chief parliamentary work was done for a progressive educational policy, for temperance, and for the extension of the Trade Boards Acts. She constantly advocated the raising of the school-leaving age and in 1923 carried through the Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to Persons under 18) Bill. She also maintained a continuous agitation for improved conditions in certain branches of the distributive and catering trades.

      No less potent was her role as hostess at Cliveden, the Astor's country house near Taplow, Buckinghamshire, where she maintained a salon that exercised considerable influence in many fields, notably foreign affairs. Members of the group were called the “Cliveden set.”

Additional Reading
Maurice Collis, Nancy Astor: An Informal Biography (1960).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Astor,Nancy Witcher Langhorne — Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne. Viscountess Astor. 1879 1964. American born British politician. In 1919 she became the first woman to sit in the House of Commons, serving there until 1945. * * * …   Universalium

  • Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor — The Right Honourable The Viscountess Astor MP CH Lady Astor, by John Singer Sargent, 1909 …   Wikipedia

  • Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor — Lady Astor (Gemälde von John Singer Sargent, 1909) Lady Nancy Astor, geb. Nancy Witcher Langhorne (* 19. Mai 1879 in Danville, Virginia, Vereinigte Staaten; † 2. Mai 1964 in Grimsthorpe, Vereinigtes Königreich), war eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Nancy Witcher Astor — noun British politician (born in the United States) who was the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons (1879 1964) • Syn: ↑Astor, ↑Viscountess Astor • Instance Hypernyms: ↑viscountess, ↑politician, ↑politico, ↑pol, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Astor — [as′tər] 1. Viscountess (born Nancy Witcher Langhorne) 1879 1964; 1st woman member of the Brit. House of Commons (1919 45): born in the U.S. 2. John Jacob 1763 1848; U.S. fur merchant & financier, born in Germany …   English World dictionary

  • Nancy Astor — Lady Astor (Gemälde von John Singer Sargent, 1909) Lady Nancy Astor, geb. Nancy Witcher Langhorne (* 19. Mai 1879 in Danville, Virginia, Vereinigte Staaten; † 2. Mai 1964 in Grimsthorpe, Bourne, Lincolnshire, Vereinigtes Königreich) war eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Astor Family — ▪ American family       wealthy American family whose fortune, rooted in the fur trade, came to be centred on real estate investments in New York City.       John Jacob Astor (Astor, John Jacob) (1763–1848), the founder of the family fortune, is… …   Universalium

  • Astor — noun 1. British politician (born in the United States) who was the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons (1879 1964) • Syn: ↑Nancy Witcher Astor, ↑Viscountess Astor • Instance Hypernyms: ↑viscountess, ↑politician, ↑politico, ↑pol, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Viscountess Astor — noun British politician (born in the United States) who was the first woman to sit in the British House of Commons (1879 1964) • Syn: ↑Astor, ↑Nancy Witcher Astor • Instance Hypernyms: ↑viscountess, ↑politician, ↑politico, ↑pol, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Astor — Ạstor   [englisch æstə],    1) Johannes Jacob, amerikanischer Unternehmer, * Walldorf (bei Heidelberg) 17. 7. 1763, ✝ New York 29. 3. 1848, Ururgroßvater von 2) und 4); wanderte 1783 nach Amerika aus; erwarb durch Pelzhandel und Verkauf von… …   Universal-Lexikon

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