Nancy Astor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nancy Witcher Langhorne
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Portrait of Nancy Astor by John Singer Sargent, 1909
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| Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton |
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| In office 28 November 1919 – 5 July 1945 |
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| Preceded by | Waldorf Astor |
| Succeeded by | Lucy Middleton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 May 1879 Danville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 2 May 1964 (aged 84) Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire, England |
| Political party | Coalition Conservative |
| Spouses | Robert Gould Shaw II (m. 1897–1903; divorced) Waldorf Astor (m. 1906–1952; his death) |
| Parents | Chiswell Dabney Langhorne Nancy Witcher Keene |
| Residences | Cliveden and Grimsthorpe Castle |
| Occupation | politician |
Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, CH (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat.
She was an American citizen who moved to England at age 26.
She made a second marriage to Waldorf Astor as a young woman in England. After he succeeded to the peerage and entered the House of Lords, she entered politics, in 1919 winning his former seat in Plymouth and becoming the first woman to sit as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons.
Her first husband was an American citizen, Robert Gould Shaw II, and they divorced. She served in Parliament as a member of the Conservative Party for Plymouth Sutton until 1945, when she was persuaded to step down.
A blue plaque unveiled in 1987 commemorates Astor at St. James's Square. Through her many social connections, Lady Astor became involved in a political circle which advocated unity and equality among English-speaking people and support for British imperialism.
Images for kids
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Nancy's childhood home, the Langhorne House in Danville, Virginia.
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Portrait of Nancy Astor by John Singer Sargent, 1909
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Charles Sims, Introduction of Lady Astor as the First Woman MP, c. 1919, The Box, Plymouth
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Astor as sketched in 1922 by Marguerite Martyn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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A statue at Cliveden, overlooking 42 inscribed stones dedicated to the dead of World War I. Sir Bertram MacKennal's figure represents Canada with the head reputedly modelled by Lady Astor
See also
In Spanish: Nancy Astor para niños
