Violet Bonham Carter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury
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Violet Bonham Carter, 1915
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| President of the Liberal Party | |
| In office 1945–1947 |
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| Preceded by | James Meston |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Foot |
| President of the Women's Liberal Federation | |
| In office 1923–1925 |
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| Preceded by | Viscountess Cowdray |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Wintringham |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 21 December 1964 – 19 February 1969 Life Peerage |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Helen Violet Asquith
15 April 1887 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 19 February 1969 (aged 81) London, England |
| Cause of death | Myocardial infarction |
| Resting place | St Andrew's Church, Mells |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouses |
Sir Maurice Bonham Carter
(m. 1915; died 1960) |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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Helen Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury (born April 15, 1887 – died February 19, 1969), was a British politician and writer. She was the daughter of H. H. Asquith, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916.
Violet was also known as Lady Violet after her father became a peer in 1925. She later became very active in the Liberal Party. She was a strong opponent of appeasement, which meant giving in to aggressive countries like Nazi Germany to avoid war. She even ran for Parliament and later became a life peer, which means she was given a special title and could sit in the House of Lords for life.
She was also interested in arts and writing. Her diaries tell us a lot about her father's time as Prime Minister. They also cover events during the First World War and continue until the 1960s. Violet was a very close friend of Winston Churchill, who later became Prime Minister during World War II. Her grandchildren include the famous actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Contents
Growing Up in a Political Family
Early Life and Education
Violet Asquith was born in Hampstead, London, England. She grew up surrounded by politics because her father was a very important politician. From 1908, she lived at 10 Downing Street, which is the official home of the Prime Minister.
Violet was taught at home by private teachers called governesses. Later, she went to Paris to get better at speaking other languages. In 1903, she attended a special school in Dresden, Germany.
Violet's mother, Helen Kelsall Melland, died when Violet was only four years old. Her stepmother, Margot Tennant, married her father in 1894. Violet had four brothers: Raymond, Herbert, Arthur, and Cyril.
Social Life and Important Friendships
In 1905, Violet was formally introduced to society at court. This meant she started attending many parties in London. She became good friends with Cynthia Asquith, who later married her brother Herbert.
Violet was very close to Winston Churchill. He became a government minister in 1908. Churchill later said they were "practically engaged," and they remained friends throughout their lives. That same year, Churchill got engaged to Clementine Hozier.
In 1909, Violet became engaged to Archibald Gordon, who was the son of a very important family. Sadly, he was very ill at the time and passed away.
World War I and Family Life
Travels and New Connections
Violet traveled to the Sudan in Africa, where her brother Arthur was working. When she returned to the United Kingdom, she learned that her friend Olive MacLeod had lost her fiancé, Boyd Alexander, who died in Africa. Violet helped Olive cope with her sadness.
In May 1912, Violet went on a cruise with her father and stepmother. They were on a ship called HMS Enchantress. Many important people were on board, including Winston Churchill and his family.
Violet also met the famous poet Rupert Brooke in March 1913. They became good friends and wrote letters to each other. After Brooke died in 1915, Violet was very sad.
Marriage and Political Changes
On January 16, 1915, the famous writer Henry James visited Violet's family. On November 30, 1915, Violet married Maurice Bonham-Carter. He was her father's main private secretary, which meant he helped her father with his important work.
During World War I, there were big changes in British politics. The Liberal Party split into different groups. This led to her father, H. H. Asquith, being replaced as Prime Minister by Lloyd George in 1916. Violet Bonham Carter later helped historians understand these events better.
A Life in Politics
Campaigning for the Liberal Party
After the war, the Liberal Party faced tough times. Violet Bonham Carter worked hard to support her father in elections. She was asked to become a Liberal candidate herself, but she decided to focus on her children first.
However, she was very active in women's politics. She was the President of the Women's Liberal Federation from 1923 to 1925, and again from 1939 to 1945. She was also the first woman to be the President of the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1947. She worked with Eleanor Rathbone to campaign for family allowances, which are payments to help families with children.
Fighting Against Fascism
In the 1920s and 1930s, Violet Bonham Carter gave many speeches. Like Winston Churchill, she quickly saw the dangers of fascism in Europe. Fascism was a political system where a country was ruled by a dictator who had total power.
She joined and helped lead several groups that were against fascism. She often worked with Churchill. In a speech in 1938, she criticized Neville Chamberlain's dealings with Nazi Germany. She said his policy was "peace at any price that others can be forced to pay." After Nazi Germany took over parts of Czechoslovakia in 1939, she helped refugees from Czechoslovakia and people who were being persecuted by the Nazis.
Later Life and Achievements
Post-War Politics and Honors
In the 1945 election, Violet Bonham Carter ran for Parliament but did not win. In 1951, she ran again for a seat that many thought she could win. Winston Churchill, who was a good friend, even arranged for his party not to put forward a candidate against her. This gave her a better chance against the Labour candidate, but she still narrowly lost.
In 1953, she received a special honor and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She continued to be a popular speaker for Liberal candidates, including her son-in-law Jo Grimond and her son Mark. She also often spoke on radio and television about current events.
Supporting International Causes and the Arts
After World War II, Violet Bonham Carter strongly supported the United Nations. She also believed in European unity and wanted Britain to join the Common Market, which is now the European Union.
Outside of politics, she was involved in the arts. She was a governor of the BBC from 1941 to 1946. She also served as a governor of the Old Vic theatre from 1945 to 1969.
On December 21, 1964, Violet Bonham Carter was given a special title and became Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury. She was one of the first new Liberal peers in many years. This meant she could take part in discussions and make decisions in the House of Lords.
Death
Lady Violet Bonham Carter passed away in 1969 from a heart attack. She was 81 years old. She was buried at St Andrew's Church, Mells, in Somerset.
Writings
Violet Bonham Carter was a diarist and wrote biographies. Her books include:
- "Winston Churchill As I Know Him" (1954)
- Winston Churchill as I Knew Him (1965)
- Lantern Slides: The Diaries and Letters of Violet Bonham Carter, 1904–1914 (1996)
- Champion Redoubtable: The Diaries and Letters of Violet Bonham Carter, 1914–1945 (1998)
- Daring to Hope: The Diaries and Letters of Violet Bonham Carter, 1945–1969 (2000)
In her book Winston Churchill As I Knew Him, she shared a funny story. When she first met Churchill, he said, "Of course, we are all worms, but I do believe that I am a glow worm."
Family
Violet Asquith married Maurice Bonham Carter in 1915. They had four children:
- Helen Laura Cressida Bonham Carter, who was the mother of economist Sir Adam Ridley.
- Laura Miranda Bonham Carter, who married Jo Grimond, a leader of the Liberal Party.
- Mark Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham-Carter, who was a Liberal Member of Parliament. He was the father of Jane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury.
- Raymond Bonham Carter, who was the father of the actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Their home in London for many years was at 21 Hyde Park Square.
Images for kids
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Violet Bonham Carter, Lady Ottoline Morrell, and an unidentified man
