Mary McAlister
Mary McAlister OBE | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Glasgow Kelvingrove | |
| In office 13 March 1958 – 7 October 1959 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Walter Elliot |
| Succeeded by | Frank Lilley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Agnes McMackin 26 April 1896 Rathmullan, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Died | 26 February 1976 (aged 79) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
J. Alexander McAlister
(m. 1927) |
| Children | Four daughters, Winifred, Molly, Elinor and Sheila |
Mary Agnes McAlister CBE (née McMackin; 26 April 1896 – 26 February 1976) was an Irish-born Scottish nurse who also went into politics and was a member of parliament for the Labour Party.
Family
McMackin was born in Rathmullan,[1] County Donegal, Ireland;[2] in later life she never revealed her date of birth in public, but the public record indicates that she was born on 26 April 1896[1] and baptised the same day.[3] She was the eldest child of Charles McMackin, publican, of Rathmullan, son of Joseph McMackin, described as "merchant", and Winnifred Deeny, national teacher, of Glenvar,[1] the eldest child of Charles Deeny, originally from Inniskil, and Sarah McGinley, originally from Legboy, Fanad,[4] both also teachers. She moved with her family to Glasgow in 1903,[5] and attended the Franciscan Convent School there. From 1923 to 1926, she trained as a fever nurse at the Knightswood Hospital in Glasgow. Having qualified, she married J. Alexander McAlister in 1927; they had four daughters (Winifred, Molly, Elinor and Sheila), and six grandchildren (Frances, Susan, Sheila and Jane and Andrew and Judy).
Municipal politics
 |
During the
Kelvingrove by-election
When Walter Elliot, the long-serving and well-regarded Unionist Member of Parliament for Glasgow Kelvingrove, died in January 1958, McAlister was chosen as the Labour Party candidate for the ensuing by-election.[6]
In an unusual contest between two women, the Unionists adopted Walter Elliot's widow Katharine as their candidate. McAlister declared that the centrepiece of her campaign was opposing the Government's Rent Act, which had allowed many landlords in the constituency to raise rents; the constituency had a large number of private rented homes.[6] The by-election was one of the first to be televised, as Scottish Television (which had launched the previous year) was anxious to make a reputation for covering issues. On 6 March the candidates were invited to the studios for a televised debate, in which McAlister criticised Mrs Elliot's defence of a report on the Scots economy "with a delightful shaft in the Scots patois".[7] McAlister's concentration on rents and the economy. contrasted with the candidate of the further left Independent Labour Party, William Park, who spoke almost solely about international disarmament.[8]
Parliament
McAlister won the seat by 1,360 votes,[9] although on polling day the Labour agent complained that one woman helping their campaign was threatened with eviction by her landlord unless she stopped the use of her rented home as committee rooms for one polling station.[10]
On 17 April 1958, McAlister made her
Defeat
Dame Katharine Elliot had been given a
In December 1960, McAlister was appointed to the National Assistance Board,[13] serving from 1961 to 1966. She was a member of the Supplementary Benefits Commission from 1966 to 1968, finishing as Deputy chairman;[14] that year she was awarded the CBE.
References and sources
- Notes
- ^ a b c Register of Births, Rathmullan District
- ^ a b "The Times House of Commons 1959", p. 199
- ^ Baptisimal Register, St. Joseph's Church, Rathmullan
- ^ Register of Marriages, Milford District
- ^ "Fourth Candidate at Kelvingrove", The Times, 3 March 1958.
- ^ a b "Kelvingrove Polling on March 13", The Times, 26 February 1958.
- ^ "Kelvingrove Candidates Face Trials of Television", The Times, 7 March 1958.
- ^ "A Liberal Leader Goes Warily", The Times, 11 March 1958.
- ^ "Kelvingrove: Labour In By 1,360", The Times, 14 March 1958.
- ^ "Labour Complain Of Incident In Kelvingrove Poll", The Times, 15 March 1958.
- ^ "Parliament", The Times, 10 April 1959.
- ^ "Glasgow in the Melting-Pot", The Times, 7 October 1959.
- ^ "National Assistance Board", The Times, 6 December 1960.
- ^ "Prof. Titmuss's appointment", The Times, 22 May 1968.
- Sources
- M. Stenton and S. Lees, "Who's Who of British MPs" Vol. IV (Harvester Press, 1981)
- "Who Was Who", A & C Black