Jean Henderson

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Jean Mary Henderson
Born(1899-12-18)18 December 1899
Died1 April 1997(1997-04-01) (aged 97)
EducationThe Mount School, York, Bedford College, London University
Occupation(s)Barrister, Liberal Party politician
Political partyLiberal Party
Parent(s)John and Florence Henderson

Jean Mary Henderson (18 December 1899 – 1 April 1997) was a British barrister and Liberal Party politician.

Date of birth

According to

London School of Economics and Political Science where her papers are kept, note the year of Henderson's birth as 1900.[full citation needed
]

Family

Henderson was the daughter of John and Florence Henderson. Her father was Secretary of the

Presbyterian. She had one sister. She never married.[1]

Education

Henderson started her education at Hall School, which has been described as an innovative and experimental establishment. The school was run by her aunt,

Head Girl
.

Henderson then went up to Bedford College, London University, where she graduated in modern languages (French, German and Russian).

Career

On leaving university, Henderson first went to work in journalism, joining the foreign desk of the

Women's International League and acted as part-time secretary to David Low the famous cartoonist.[1]

In 1938, after the death of her parents, Henderson changed careers and went in for the law. She was admitted to the

Justice of the Peace at Willesden.[1]

Politics

Jean Henderson was strongly influenced by her parents. She followed her father's politics and supported the Liberal Party all her life but she was independent and determined enough to choose her own political beliefs and causes. She fought three general elections for the Liberals, all without success. Her first intervention was as prospective parliamentary candidate for

Lady Astor, Edith Summerskill and the pianist Harriet Cohen.[5]

At the

deposit.[6] In 1950 Henderson switched her attentions to Lincoln,[2] this time with even less success, taking less than 9% of the vote and again losing her deposit.[7] She did not contest a seat at the 1951 general election but she returned to the fray, first by becoming prospective parliamentary candidate for Watford in 1953 but then changing constituencies to fight at Luton in 1955. Again she came third and again she lost her deposit.[8]

Henderson tried her hand at local elections too. She contested Hendon Borough Council elections in Garden Suburb Ward in 1949 and 1953 but did not get elected. In 1964 she was a Liberal candidate for Hampstead Garden Suburb in the Barnet London Borough Council elections. The Liberal candidates comfortably out-polled Labour and finished strong runners up to the Conservatives. She was Honorary Secretary of the Women's Liberal Federation from 1941 until 1949 and served on the Executive of the Liberal Candidates' Association.[2] She was President of Hampstead Garden Suburb Ward Liberal Association and a member of the management board of the Gladstone Benevolent Fund for Liberal Agents, (1973–1988).

Saving Hampstead Garden Suburb

In 1962 the Hampstead Garden Suburb Protection Society was set up with the aim of preserving the essential character and independence of the area in the face possible changes and development when the area was acquired by a private property company. Henderson was elected the first chairman.[9] The membership of the Society grew to around 3,000 and they were able to sponsor a private bill in Parliament to safeguard the future of the suburb.[10] In 1968, Henderson became one of the first directors of the New Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust, which was granted powers to refuse proposed developments in the area which they believed were harmful to its character.[11][12]

Papers

A substantial collection of Jean Henderson's papers covering her political work during the years 1916–1993, have been deposited in the LSE Library. There is also material relating to her legal career between 1938 and 1993.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d The Times, 1 May 1997
  2. ^ a b c Who's Who of 475 Liberal Candidates Fighting the 1950 General Election (LPD, 1950)
  3. ^ a b "CalmView: Overview". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012.
  4. ^ The Times, 23 April 1936
  5. ^ The Times, 22 September 1941
  6. ^ "Political Science Resources: politics, and elections in the UK and USA". Psr.keele.ac.uk. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Political Science Resources: politics, and elections in the UK and USA". Psr.keele.ac.uk. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Political Science Resources: politics, and elections in the UK and USA". Psr.keele.ac.uk. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  9. ^ The Times, 13 January 1962
  10. ^ The Times, 20 February 1963
  11. ^ The Times, 15 January 1981
  12. ^ Mervyn Miller & Alexander Stuart Gray, Hampstead Garden Suburb; Phillimore, 1992 p138ff
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