First Woman in the House of Commons

Nancy Astor was the first woman to take a seat in the British House of Commons, on November 28, 1919. American-born, with a sister who was immortalized as the "Gibson girl," her second husband was Waldorf Astor, son of an American millionaire who'd become a British lord. She and her new husband were active in social circles, and also became political reformers.

In this illustration, she is shown at the dispatch box in the House of Commons.

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