Eveline Hill
Eveline Hill JP | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Manchester Wythenshawe | |
In office 23 February 1950 – 25 September 1964 | |
Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
Preceded by | New constituency |
Succeeded by | Alf Morris |
Personal details | |
Born | Eveline Ridyard 16 April 1898 Manchester |
Died | 22 September 1973 | (aged 75)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse |
John Stanley Hill
(m. 1922; died 1947) |
Children | John, Betty and Faye |
Eveline Hill,
Family
Hill was born to a rising middle-class family in Manchester, where her parents, Richard and Mary Ridyard, ran a catering business. They were not wealthy enough to send her to public school, and on leaving state secondary school in Manchester, she joined the family business. In 1922 she married John Stanley Hill, and as usual for married women in those times, gave up work to look after the home. They had a son, John, and two daughters, Betty and Faye. John married Joyce Lee and had two children John and Caroline. Caroline has three children Jennifer, Christopher and Daniel. Betty went on to have two children Alex Angus and Richard William Smith who married Anne Hinds in 1986 and had 3 children Benjamin, Hannah and Joshua.
Community activities
On the death of her father, Hill and her brother took joint control of the family firm. She also became involved in the
Parliament
At the 1950 general election, Hill was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Manchester Wythenshawe, a newly created constituency at the southern end of Manchester which included her ward. Her maiden speech was on the subject of housebuilding, which she urged be maintained in order to prevent illnesses associated with poor housing.
Women's issues
In November 1950 Hill won a spot in the ballot for
Hill broke the Conservative whip to oppose changes in the Manchester constituency boundaries in 1954, and found herself in a slightly less favourable position at the 1955 general election; she was re-elected by 2,822 votes. She became chairman of the Conservative backbench committee on Health and Social Security, and in 1958 supported government proposals to increase National Health Service charges, arguing that people who made contributions were putting something away for a rainy day in the traditional manner.
Rebelliousness
In 1961 Hill supported the reintroduction of corporal punishment. She also rebelled the next year over a Bill setting up a training council for Health visitors, to increase the council's power to make grants. Reacting to the 1963 budget, she hoped that husbands would pass on to their wives some of their allowances which had been increased. She also joined the rebellion over the abolition of resale price maintenance in 1964.
Defeat
Having held a marginal seat for two elections, Hill's position was made more difficult by the growth of council housing in the constituency in the early 1960s. At the 1964 general election, she was defeated by a wide margin of 4,777 votes. Hill had retained her seat on Manchester City Council throughout her time in Parliament, but retired in 1966; the Council appointed her as an honorary Alderman in honour of her years of service.
References
- "Who Was Who", A & C Black
- "The Times House of Commons 1950"
- ^ The Times, 7 March 1952.