Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (d. 1964)
Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945.Astor's first husband was American Robert Gould Shaw II; the couple separated after four years and divorced in 1903. She moved to England and married Waldorf Astor. After her husband succeeded to the peerage and entered the House of Lords, she entered politics as a member of the Conservative Party and won his former seat of Plymouth Sutton in 1919, becoming the first woman to sit as an MP in the House of Commons. She served in Parliament until 1945, when she was persuaded to step down. Astor has been criticised for her antisemitism and sympathetic view of National Socialism.
1879May, 19
Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor
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Events on 1879
- 8Feb
Sydney Riot of 1879
The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked during a riot during a match in Sydney. - 15Feb
Rutherford B. Hayes
Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. - 5Apr
War of the Pacific
Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific. - 21Oct
Incandescent light bulb
Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb. - 22Oct
Thomas Edison
Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric incandescent light bulb (it lasted 13½ hours before burning out).