Nancy Witcher Astor was the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament in Britain (although she wasn't the first woman to win a seat; that title belongs to someone who won an election but didn't serve), elected on this day in 1919. Here are a few interesting things about Astor:
- She was born in Danville, Virginia, where her father had been a slave owner.
- She moved to England at about the age of 26.
- She converted to Christian Science from Catholicism.
- She won her seat in a special election as a member of the Conservative Party pretty much by default. Most of her suffragette opponents were in jail, and she was known to have ridiculous political views (her fierce resistance against alcohol consumption) and say outlandish things.
- She had an unimpressive run as an MP but did have some influence outside of politics.
- She hated Jews and didn't mind the Nazis wiping them out.
- The Tories (Conservative Party members) felt she was becoming a liability to the party, and her husband strongly discouraged her from seeking re-election in the final years of WWII. So she quit.
- During her retirement from politics she went around the U.S. making speeches and spewing hatred toward black people and Jews. She suggested to a group of black students that they should grow up to be more like the servants she remembered in Virginia. To another group she said that they should be thankful for slavery because it's what allowed them to convert to Christianity.
- She had a gay son.
So at least in some respect, Nancy Astor was kinda like Sarah Palin before Palin was even born.
0 comments:
Post a Comment