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| Lady Astor |
Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor, became the first female Member of Parliament to sit in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Lady Astor represented the Conservative Party and was the wife of Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor, who was an American-born British politician and newspaper proprietor. Lady Astor ran for the seat occupied by her husband after Viscount Astor became a member of the House of Lords. In fact, the first woman elected to the British Parliament was Constance Markievicz, but she did not take up the seat in the Parliament. Though Lady Astor's campaign success was largely dependent on the influence and wealth of her husband, it was a meaningful step forward to gender equality in politics.
