Betty Hanson
Encyclopedia
Betty Hanson was a Manx
politician
and teacher
. Hanson served as a Member of the House of Keys
(MHK), the lower house of the Tynwald
from 1974 until 1982 for the Douglas West constituency. She was elected to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
, the upper house of the Tynwald, in 1982, becoming the first woman ever elected to that particular legislature
. She remained a member of the Legislative Council
(MLC) until 1988.
, history
, home economics
and English
. Betty Hanson's late husband, Eric Hanson who fought in Berma, also pursued a career in education
, serving as the head teacher
of St Thomas's School for 27 years before joining the Albert Road Junior School in Ramsey
.
's Board of Education
as a non-Tynwald member, where she served from 1971 until 1974. Following her election to the House of Keys
in 1974, Hanson returned to chair the Board of Education as a full Tynwald member from 1976 until 1981. Hanson oversaw the creation of Queen Elizabeth II High School
, the first secondary school
in the western portion of the Isle of Man, and personally escorted the school's namesake
, Queen Elizabeth II, on a tour of the facility in 1979.
She served as the chairman and chief planner of the Tynwald's Millennium
Committee celebrations in 1979. In the weeks prior to the celebration, Hanson traveled to the United States as chairman, where she was instrumental in the establishment of the North American Manx Awards, which are still overseen by the Manx Board of Education. The awards were founded by Hanson and others as a way to acknowledge artistic achievements in Manx music
, language
, arts
, culture
and crafts.
Betty Hanson became the first woman ever elevated to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
in 1982, a post she held until 1988. She continued to serve as governor
of St Thomas's Café Primary School until her death in 2008. She was also the honorary vice president
of the World Manx Association.
. She had been in the care of the nursing home
since February 2008. Hanson was survived by two sons, Leslie and Mark. She also had a granddaughter called Christina (Marks daughter).
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. Hanson served as a Member of the House of Keys
Member of the House of Keys
Member of the House of Keys, or MHK is the title given to a person who has been elected into the House of Keys, the lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. There are twenty-four Members of the House of Keys. Elections are held every five years; the last election took place in...
(MHK), the lower house of the Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
from 1974 until 1982 for the Douglas West constituency. She was elected to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man.It consists of eleven Members —*eight elected members, known as Members of the Legislative Council or MLCs*three ex officio members:...
, the upper house of the Tynwald, in 1982, becoming the first woman ever elected to that particular legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
. She remained a member of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man.It consists of eleven Members —*eight elected members, known as Members of the Legislative Council or MLCs*three ex officio members:...
(MLC) until 1988.
Personal life
Betty Hanson was born as Betty Lucas in Peel, Isle of Man in 1918. When she was 18 she went to Avery hill Teachers Training Collage in Elthom. She then won an art scholarship to the Slade, but due to the 2nd world war her father insisted that she went to Liverpool collage of art instead, because it was closer to her home. After 6 months she became a teacher in a school in Scotland road because the London blitz had started. She became a fire fighter at night and eventually won a defence medal. Afer the war she chose teaching as her profession. Betty Hanson taught at both St John's primary school and Douglas High School, where she taught artArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, home economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
and English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
. Betty Hanson's late husband, Eric Hanson who fought in Berma, also pursued a career in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, serving as the head teacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
of St Thomas's School for 27 years before joining the Albert Road Junior School in Ramsey
Ramsey, Isle of Man
Ramsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
.
Politics
Hanson entered the political realm when she joined the Isle of ManIsle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
's Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
as a non-Tynwald member, where she served from 1971 until 1974. Following her election to the House of Keys
House of Keys
The House of Keys is the directly elected lower branch of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council....
in 1974, Hanson returned to chair the Board of Education as a full Tynwald member from 1976 until 1981. Hanson oversaw the creation of Queen Elizabeth II High School
Queen Elizabeth II high school
Queen Elizabeth II High School is a co-educational comprehensive school in Peel Isle of Man. It is commonly referred to as simply QE2 and teaches the years 7-11 as well as a sixth form for years 12-13....
, the first secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in the western portion of the Isle of Man, and personally escorted the school's namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
, Queen Elizabeth II, on a tour of the facility in 1979.
She served as the chairman and chief planner of the Tynwald's Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
Committee celebrations in 1979. In the weeks prior to the celebration, Hanson traveled to the United States as chairman, where she was instrumental in the establishment of the North American Manx Awards, which are still overseen by the Manx Board of Education. The awards were founded by Hanson and others as a way to acknowledge artistic achievements in Manx music
Music of the Isle of Man
The music of the Isle of Man reflects Celtic, Norse and other influences, including from its neighbours, Scotland, Ireland England and Wales. The Isle of Man is a small island nation in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland .A wide range of music is performed on the island, such as rock,...
, language
Manx language
Manx , also known as Manx Gaelic, and as the Manks language, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, historically spoken by the Manx people. Only a small minority of the Island's population is fluent in the language, but a larger minority has some knowledge of it...
, arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and crafts.
Betty Hanson became the first woman ever elevated to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man.It consists of eleven Members —*eight elected members, known as Members of the Legislative Council or MLCs*three ex officio members:...
in 1982, a post she held until 1988. She continued to serve as governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of St Thomas's Café Primary School until her death in 2008. She was also the honorary vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of the World Manx Association.
Death
Betty Hanson died on June 24, 2008, at the age of 89 at the Elder Grange Nursing Home in Douglas, Isle of ManDouglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
. She had been in the care of the nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
since February 2008. Hanson was survived by two sons, Leslie and Mark. She also had a granddaughter called Christina (Marks daughter).