Margaret MacDonald (spouse)

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Margaret MacDonald, née Margaret Ethel Gladstone (1870 – 1911) was a feminist, social reformer, and the wife of British politician and future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Ramsay MacDonald from 1896 until her death from blood poisoning 15 years later in 1911. He subsequently became British Prime Minister three times, but did not remarry.

Margaret Gladstone was unrelated to the Gladstones of the Liberal Party. She was educated largely at home and was involved in voluntary social work, including visits for the Charity Organisation Society in Hoxton.

By 1890, she was a keen socialist, influenced by the Christian Socialists and the Fabian Society.

In 1894 she joined the Women's Industrial Council, serving on several committees and organising the enquiry into home work in London, which was published in 1897. She met Ramsay Macdonald through this work in 1895. She was very comfortably off, although not hugely wealthy. This allowed them to indulge in foreign travel, visiting Canada and the United States in 1897, South Africa in 1902, Australia and New Zealand in 1906 and India several times.

After her marriage she was concerned about the need for skilled work and training for women, so she was key in establishing the first trade schools for girls in 1904. She continued this work until 1910.

She was a member of the National Union of Women Workers.

She served on the executive of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, although she was opposed to militant action.

In 1906 she became involved in the formation of the Women's Labour League until her death in 1911.

The marriage to Ramsay MacDonald was a very happy one, and they had six children, including Malcolm MacDonald (1901-81), who had a prominent career as a politician, colonial governor and diplomat, and Ishbel MacDonald (1903-82), who was very close to her father.