Jennie Lee
Encyclopedia
Jennie Lee, Baroness Lee of Asheridge PC
(3 November 1904 – 16 November 1988) was born Janet Lee in Lochgelly
, in Fife
, Scotland
. The daughter of James Lee, a miner (who later gave up work in the mines to run a hotel) and Euphemia Grieg, she inherited her father's socialist inclinations, and like him joined the Independent Labour Party
(ILP).
(who would have a profound influence on her) and David Kirkwood
. She opposed the UK's involvement in the First World War
, and hoped to attend university, but her parents found they were unable to afford the fees involved. She managed to secure support from the Carnegie
Trust which allowed her to attend the University of Edinburgh
.
At university she became further politically involved, joining the Labour Club there, and taking part in the campaign to have Bertrand Russell
elected as University Rector
. During the general strike Lee returned home to assist the striking miners, even donating a bursary she was receiving to her parents to tide them over.
before being adopted the ILP candidate for the North Lanarkshire
constituency, which she won at a 1929 by-election, becoming the youngest member of the House of Commons
. Immediately she was in conflict with the Labour leadership in the commons. She insisted on being sponsored by Robert Smillie
and her old friend, James Maxton to be introduced to the commons, rather than by the leadership's preferred choice of sponsors.
Lee's first speech was an attack on the budget proposals of Winston Churchill
and met even with his approval, with him offering his congratulations after their exchange in the Commons. Lee forged a parliamentary reputation as a left-winger, allying herself to Maxton and the other ILP members. She was totally opposed to Ramsay MacDonald
's decision to form a coalition National government, and in the 1931 general election
she lost her seat in parliament.
Labour MP Aneurin Bevan
, with whom she remained until his death in 1960.
Despite being out of the Commons Lee remained active politically, trying to secure British support for the Spanish Popular Front government under threat from Francisco Franco
in the Spanish Civil War
. She also remained active inside the ILP and took their side in their split from the Labour Party, a decision that did not meet with her husband's approval.
she was once again elected to the Commons, this time to represent the Cannock constituency
in Staffordshire
. She remained a convinced left-winger, and this brought her sometimes into opposition with even her own husband, with whom she usually agreed politically. Lee was critical of Bevan for his support of the UK acquiring a nuclear deterrent, something she did not support.
She was appointed arts minister in the Harold Wilson
government of 1964 and played a key role in the formation of the Open University
, an act described by Wilson as the greatest of his time in government. Lee renewed the charter of the Arts Council of Great Britain
in 1967 which saw an expansion of its work in the regions as well of the creation of the new arts institutions at London's South Bank Centre
. She also introduced the only UK White Paper
for the Arts and following the 1967 reshuffle was promoted to Minister of State
at the Department of Education and Science
after two
years as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
. Between 1964 and 1965 Lee had been Parliamentary Secretary
at the Ministry of Public Building and Works.
election in Cannock by Patrick Cormack
and she retired from frontline politics when she was made Baroness Lee of Asheridge, of the City of Westminster.
She died in 1988 from natural causes at the age of 84.
Jennie Lee bequeathed her personal papers to the Open University
. They are preserved in the Open University Archive
. More details and a full catalogue of the papers can be found on the Archive Web pages.
in Kirkcaldy
, Fife
refused to name themselves after Adam Smith
, and instead chose the name Jennie Lee Student's Association. The Association claimed Adam Smith is synonymous with "exploitation and greed" and stated "Jennie Lee would be an excellent role model for the students because of the courage and conviction she showed in achieving the aims she believed passionately in". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1808040,00.html
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(3 November 1904 – 16 November 1988) was born Janet Lee in Lochgelly
Lochgelly
Lochgelly is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is located between Lochs Ore and Gelly to the north-west and south-east respectively. It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of Lumphinnans. According to the 2007 population estimate, the town has a population of 6,834.-History:From the 1830s...
, in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The daughter of James Lee, a miner (who later gave up work in the mines to run a hotel) and Euphemia Grieg, she inherited her father's socialist inclinations, and like him joined the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
(ILP).
Early life
In her childhood she met socialist leaders such as James MaxtonJames Maxton
James Maxton was a Scottish socialist politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as one of the leading figures of the Red Clydeside era.-Early years:...
(who would have a profound influence on her) and David Kirkwood
David Kirkwood
David Kirkwood, 1st Baron Kirkwood, PC was a socialist from the East End of Glasgow, Scotland, viewed as a leading figure of the Red Clydeside era.Kirkwood was educated at Parkhead Public School and was trained as an engineer....
. She opposed the UK's involvement in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and hoped to attend university, but her parents found they were unable to afford the fees involved. She managed to secure support from the Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
Trust which allowed her to attend the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
At university she became further politically involved, joining the Labour Club there, and taking part in the campaign to have Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
elected as University Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. During the general strike Lee returned home to assist the striking miners, even donating a bursary she was receiving to her parents to tide them over.
First term as MP
She graduated from university and worked as a teacher in CowdenbeathCowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is 5 miles north-east of Dunfermline and 18 miles north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a Police Burgh in 1890...
before being adopted the ILP candidate for the North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Lanarkshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1885 and from 1918 to 1983...
constituency, which she won at a 1929 by-election, becoming the youngest member of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. Immediately she was in conflict with the Labour leadership in the commons. She insisted on being sponsored by Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie
Robert Smillie was a trade unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.-Biography:Born into the city of Belfast, the second son of John Smillie a Scottish Crofter. Until into his adult years he spelt his name as Smellie; he spelt it like this even on his wedding certificate in 1878...
and her old friend, James Maxton to be introduced to the commons, rather than by the leadership's preferred choice of sponsors.
Lee's first speech was an attack on the budget proposals of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and met even with his approval, with him offering his congratulations after their exchange in the Commons. Lee forged a parliamentary reputation as a left-winger, allying herself to Maxton and the other ILP members. She was totally opposed to Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's decision to form a coalition National government, and in the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
she lost her seat in parliament.
Out of the Commons
In her private life at the time she had formed a close relationship with fellow Labour MP Frank Wise, a married man who considered divorcing his wife for Lee, but who did not do so in the end. Wise died in 1933 and the following year Lee married the left-wing WelshWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Labour MP Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
, with whom she remained until his death in 1960.
Despite being out of the Commons Lee remained active politically, trying to secure British support for the Spanish Popular Front government under threat from Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. She also remained active inside the ILP and took their side in their split from the Labour Party, a decision that did not meet with her husband's approval.
Re-election
She later returned to the Labour Party from the ILP, and at the 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
she was once again elected to the Commons, this time to represent the Cannock constituency
Cannock (UK Parliament constituency)
Cannock was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. She remained a convinced left-winger, and this brought her sometimes into opposition with even her own husband, with whom she usually agreed politically. Lee was critical of Bevan for his support of the UK acquiring a nuclear deterrent, something she did not support.
She was appointed arts minister in the Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
government of 1964 and played a key role in the formation of the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
, an act described by Wilson as the greatest of his time in government. Lee renewed the charter of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
in 1967 which saw an expansion of its work in the regions as well of the creation of the new arts institutions at London's South Bank Centre
South Bank Centre
Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, UK, on the South Bank of the River Thames between County Hall and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises three main buildings , and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts. It attracts more than three million visitors annually...
. She also introduced the only UK White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
for the Arts and following the 1967 reshuffle was promoted to Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department of Education and Science
Department of Education and Science
The phrase Department of Education and Science refers to government departments in the UK or Ireland* For the former Irish government department, see Department of Education and Skills...
after two
years as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
. Between 1964 and 1965 Lee had been Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
at the Ministry of Public Building and Works.
Retirement and later life
Lee was defeated at the 1970United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
election in Cannock by Patrick Cormack
Patrick Cormack
Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, FSA DL is a British politician, historian, journalist and author. He was a Conservative Party Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010.-Early life:...
and she retired from frontline politics when she was made Baroness Lee of Asheridge, of the City of Westminster.
She died in 1988 from natural causes at the age of 84.
Jennie Lee bequeathed her personal papers to the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
. They are preserved in the Open University Archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
. More details and a full catalogue of the papers can be found on the Archive Web pages.
Scottish student support
In 2005, the Student's Association of the newly created Adam Smith CollegeAdam Smith College
Adam Smith College is a Scottish further and higher education college located over various campuses across the county of Fife.-History:The college was formed on August 1, 2005 by the merger of Glenrothes College and Fife College and is named after Adam Smith, the founder of modern economics, who...
in Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
refused to name themselves after Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
, and instead chose the name Jennie Lee Student's Association. The Association claimed Adam Smith is synonymous with "exploitation and greed" and stated "Jennie Lee would be an excellent role model for the students because of the courage and conviction she showed in achieving the aims she believed passionately in". http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1808040,00.html