Nancy Astor: The First Serving Female MP

By Isabel King, Third Year History

“It won’t be exclusive long. When I came in, I left the door wide open!”

“I do not want you to look on your lady member as fanatic or a lunatic. I am simply trying to speak for hundreds of women and children throughout the country who cannot speak for themselves”

Nancy Astor, (1) after her election to Parliament, on being welcomed to the ‘most exclusive men’s club in Europe’, (2) her maiden speech in Parliament.

102 years ago today, on 28th November 1919, the results of the Plymouth Sutton by-election were announced, confirming Nancy Astor as the new MP.

This was a landmark result because with it, Astor became the first serving female member of the House of Commons. Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz had been the first woman to be elected as an MP in 1918, but she refused to take her seat. This means she is often forgotten in the history of women’s politics, and causes Astor to be widely remembered as Britain’s first female MP.

When Astor took her seat, only land-owning women over the age of 30 could vote. Ironically, despite being the first woman in the House of Commons, Astor was not an active part of the suffrage movement. In fact, Markievicz criticised her for this shortly after she was elected in 1919, and Dr Jacqui Turner has claimed that Astor was a “feminist by default rather than by design”.

So, if she wasn’t exactly the no-nonsense women’s activist she is often portrayed to be, who was Nancy Astor, and what is her legacy?

Astor was born in Virginia, America in 1879, and moved to England in 1904. Interested in social reform, Astor persuaded her husband Waldorf Astor to become an MP. When he was later promoted to the House of Lords, she ran to replace him as Plymouth Sutton’s MP.

During her election campaign, Astor showed her flair for public interaction, most notably through her meetings with the poorest women in society. She spoke to them personally to figure out what policies would benefit them, which was ground-breaking at the time.

Once voted in, Astor’s reputation for being a quick-witted, strong-willed public speaker only grew, as she advocated for welfare reforms and further women’s voting rights. Her wit sometimes got her into trouble, as she became known (and hated) for her heckling.

Astor’s tee-totalism is perhaps her biggest legacy: she lost popularity in the House based on her views, and in 1923, the Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to Persons Under Eighteen) Act was passed in Parliament – the first Members’ Bill to be passed by a woman. This Act became known as ‘Lady Astor’s Bill’ and prohibited the sale of alcoholic drinks to those under eighteen. Astor’s long-lasting impact is clear here, as we still abide by these rules today.

Ultimately, Astor’s political career was an interesting one, tinged with controversy that could be discussed in much further detail, though it is safe to say that she was a remarkable success and an inspiration to many women.

Nancy Witcher Langhorne, Viscountess Astor CH, MP (1879-1964) by John Singer Sargent, London 1908