Mabel Philipson
Mabel Philipson (1887-1951) was a British actress and politician. She was the third female member to serve in the House of Commons after this became legally possible in 1918, representing Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Biography
Early life
She was born Mabel Russell on January 01, 1887.
Career
She became a successful music hall and comedy actress.
On 21 November 1918 the Parliamentary Qualification of Women Act, introduced a few weeks previously by Lord Robert Cecil was given Royal Assent, making women eligible as Members of Parliament. Hilton Philipson, her husband, was unseated on petition in 1923, due to a fraud involving his agent. Mabel Philipson won the by-election to follow him, while standing as a Conservative. It was said that she made no secret that she intended to hold the seat until her husband's return;[1] however when her husband's business hit financial difficulties in 1928 she announced her retirement as "the reason why I have held the seat has ceased to exist".[2]
She returned to the stage after leaving Parliament, appearing as Mrs Tilling in Other People's Lives at the Wyndham Theatre in 1929.[3]
Personal life
Widowed by 1911, in 1917 she married Hilton Philipson, a business owner and National Liberal politician; they had three children. She died on January 08, 1951.
Selected filmography
- Tilly of Bloomsbury (1931)
References
- John Sleight, Women on the March (1986)
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd edition ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Hilton Philipson |
Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1923–1929 |
Succeeded by Alfred Todd |