Margaret Herbison

The Right Honourable
Margaret Herbison
Minister of Social Security
Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1964–1966)
In office
18 October 1964 – 26 July 1967
Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Preceded by Richard Wood
Succeeded by Judith Hart
Personal details
Born Margaret McCrorie Herbison
11 March 1907(1907-03-11)
Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died 29 December 1996(1996-12-29) (aged 89)
Lanark, Scotland
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Glasgow
Occupation Politician
Profession Teacher

Margaret McCrorie Herbison (11 March 1907 – 29 December 1996) was a Scottish Labour politician.

Educated at Bellshill Academy and the University of Glasgow, her early career was spent as a teacher of English and history and as an economics lecturer for the National Council of Labour Colleges. The daughter of a miner, she would later serve on the Miners' Welfare Commission. She was elected as Member of Parliament for North Lanarkshire at the 1945 general election. She held this seat until her retirement in 1970.

In government, she held office as Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from 1950 to 1951, as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance from 1964 to 1966, and as Minister of Social Security from 1966 to 1967. She was opposition spokesperson on Scotland (1951–1956, 1959–1962), Education (1956–1959), and Pensions (1958–1959 and 1962–1964).

She was a Member of Labour National Executive Committee, and Labour Party Chairman in 1957. In the House of Commons, she was Chairman of Select Committee on Overseas Aid in 1969-70. She was a British delegate to the Council of Europe.

A lifelong member of the Church of Scotland, from 1970 to 1971 she became the first woman to serve as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

She died of cancer on 29 December 1996 at St Mary's Hospital, Lanark.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
William Anstruther-Gray
Member of Parliament for North Lanarkshire
19451970
Succeeded by
John Smith
Party political offices
Preceded by
Edwin Gooch
Chair of the Labour Party
1956–1957
Succeeded by
Tom Driberg
Political offices
Preceded by
Richard Wood
Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
1964–1966
Succeeded by
Herself
as Minister of Social Security
Preceded by
Herself
as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
Minister of Social Security
1966–1967
Succeeded by
Judith Hart