Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford
Encyclopedia
Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford (28 September 1869 – 28 October 1956) was a British Liberal Party
politician.
, a Liberal Member of Parliament for South Shields
, Hilda Stevenson was educated at Notting Hill High School and Girton College, Cambridge
where she took first class honours in the History Tripos
. In 1898 she married Walter Runciman
, a rising politician. They had two sons and three daughters.
. She was also a member of the Northumberland
County Education Committee and one of the earliest women magistrates.
.
as Member of Parliament
for St Ives
in Cornwall
, though she remained in Parliament for only one year, handing the seat to her husband at the 1929 general election
. She herself fought the 1929 general election for the Liberals at Tavistock
, having been invited to become the candidate by the local Liberal Association against the wishes of national headquarters who were apparently unhappy that she was not a supporter of party leader David Lloyd George
. She narrowly failed to gain Tavistock from the Tories by just 152 votes.
, and she was styled as Viscountess Runciman of Doxford.
, London
, on 28 October 1956, aged 87.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Family and Education
A daughter of James Cochran StevensonJames Cochran Stevenson
James Cochran Stevenson was an English industrialist at Tyneside and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1895....
, a Liberal Member of Parliament for South Shields
South Shields (UK Parliament constituency)
South Shields is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, Hilda Stevenson was educated at Notting Hill High School and Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
where she took first class honours in the History Tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
. In 1898 she married Walter Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford PC was a prominent Liberal, later National Liberal politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.-Background:...
, a rising politician. They had two sons and three daughters.
Local
She became the first woman member to be elected to the Newcastle on Tyne School BoardSchool board (England & Wales)
School boards were public bodies in England and Wales between 1870 and 1902, which established and administered elementary schools.School boards were created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act 1870 following campaigning by George Dixon, Joseph Chamberlain and the National...
. She was also a member of the Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
County Education Committee and one of the earliest women magistrates.
National
In the 1920s Mrs Runciman took on a more national political role. She served as president of the Women's National Liberal Federation, 1919–21, continuing to sit on its executive committee for many years. She also served as president of the Women's Free Church Council, a member of the executive of the League of Nations Union, chaired the Westminster Housing Association, and was a founder of the Westminster Housing Trust. In Liberal Party politics she was a strong advocate of H H Asquith, and under her presidency the Women's National Liberal Federation supported the maintenance of independent Liberalism and an end to the Lloyd George coalitionCoalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
.
Parliament
She became an MP in her own right in 1928, when she was elected in a by-electionSt Ives by-election, 1928
The St Ives by-election, 1928 was a by-election held on 6 March 1928 for the British House of Commons constituency of St Ives in Cornwall.-Cause:...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for St Ives
St Ives (UK Parliament constituency)
St. Ives is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, though she remained in Parliament for only one year, handing the seat to her husband at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. She herself fought the 1929 general election for the Liberals at Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
, having been invited to become the candidate by the local Liberal Association against the wishes of national headquarters who were apparently unhappy that she was not a supporter of party leader David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. She narrowly failed to gain Tavistock from the Tories by just 152 votes.
Titles
In 1937 her husband became Viscount Runciman of DoxfordViscount Runciman of Doxford
Viscount Runciman of Doxford, of Doxford in the County of Northumberland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1937 for the Hon. Walter Runciman, a politician whose career included service as a Member of Parliament, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of...
, and she was styled as Viscountess Runciman of Doxford.
Death
Hilda Runciman died of heart failure at her home, 73 Portland PlacePortland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 28 October 1956, aged 87.