Jennie Adamson
| Janet Laurel Adamson | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Dartford | |
|
In office 7 November 1938 – 4 July 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Edward Clarke |
| Succeeded by | Norman Dodds |
| Member of Parliament for Peckham | |
|
In office 5 July 1945 – 21 July 1946 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Ashley Bramall |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Janet Laurel Johnston 9 May 1882 Kirkcudbright, Scotland |
| Died | 25 April 1962 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | William Murdoch Adamson |
Janet Laurel Adamson (née Johnston;[1] 9 May 1882 – 25 April 1962) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She sat in the House of Commons from 1938 to 1946, and served as a junior minister in Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government.
Early life and family
Janet Laurel Johnston was born on 9 May 1882, the daughter of Thomas Johnston of Kirkcudbright. She married, in 1902, to William Murdoch Adamson (d. 1945), a Transport and General Workers' Union official who became Labour MP for Cannock.[2][1]
Political career
From 1928 to 1931, Adamson was a member of London County Council for Lambeth North. She served on the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party from 1927 to 1947.[1]
Adamson unsuccessfully contested Dartford at the 1935 general election, when the sitting Conservative MP Frank Clarke held the seat with a significantly reduced majority.[3] However, Clarke died in July 1938, and at the resulting by-election in November 1938, Adamson won the seat on a swing of 4.2%.[3]
The constituency was divided in boundary changes for the 1945 general election, when Adamson was elected with a large majority (27% of the votes) for the new Bexley constituency.[4] She served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary from 1940 to 1945 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1945 to 1946,[1] under minister Wilfred Paling.
Adamson resigned from Parliament in 1946, becoming Deputy Chair of the Unemployment Assistance Board from 1946 to 1953.[1] Her resignation precipitated a by-election in July 1946 which was narrowly won by the Labour candidate Ashley Bramall.[4] At the next general election, in 1950, the seat was won by future Prime Minister Edward Heath. She was a Member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party from 1927 to 1947 and was Chairman 1935 to 1936.[2]
Adamson died on 25 April 1962.[5]
References
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Jennie Adamson". Observatory. Centre for Advancement of Women in Politics, Queens University Belfast. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- 1 2 Stenton and Lees Who's Who of British Members of Parliament vol. iv p. 1
- 1 2 Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 383. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- 1 2 Craig, op cit, page 76
- ↑ Stenton and Lees Who's Who of British Members of Parliament vol. iv p. 2
Bibliography
- Stenton, M., Lees, S. (1981). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, volume iv (covering 1945-1979). Sussex: The Harvester Press; New Jersey: Humanities Press. ISBN 0-391-01087-5
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Janet Adamson
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Edward Clarke |
Member of Parliament for Dartford 1938 – 1945 |
Succeeded by Norman Dodds |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Bexley 1945 – 1946 |
Succeeded by Ashley Bramall |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by William Sidney |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Pensions 1945 – 1946 |
Succeeded by Arthur Blenkinsop |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by William Albert Robinson |
Chair of the Labour Party 1935–1936 |
Succeeded by Hugh Dalton |