Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl
The Duchess of Atholl | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 6 December 1923 – 28 November 1938 | |
| Preceded by | James Gardiner |
| Succeeded by | William McNair Snadden |
| Constituency | Kinross and West Perthshire |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Katharine Marjory Ramsay 6 November 1874 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 21 October 1960 (aged 85) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Political party | Scottish Unionist Party |
| Spouse | John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl |
| Parent | Sir James Henry Ramsay, 10th Baronet |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Music |
Katharine Marjory Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, DBE (née Ramsay; 6 November 1874 – 21 October 1960), known as the Marchioness of Tullibardine from 1899 to 1917, was a Scottish noblewoman and Scottish Unionist Party politician. She was the first woman to be elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in Scotland, despite having campaigned against women's suffrage before it was granted in 1918. She was the first woman to serve in a British Conservative government. She later found herself at odds with her party and resigned the Whip in 1935 over the India Bill. She became strongly anti-fascist in the 1930s and criticised authoritarian regimes in Soviet Russia, Italy and Spain as well as Nazi Germany. She was given the nickname 'Red Duchess' for these views.