Lena Jeger, Baroness Jeger
Encyclopedia
Lena May Jeger, Baroness Jeger (19 November 1915 – 26 February 2007) was a British
Labour
MP, during two periods. She followed her husband as Member of Parliament
for Holborn and St Pancras South
, holding the seat from 1953 to 1959. She retook the seat in 1964, retaining it until 1979, when she became a life peer
.
. Her father was a postman
. She was educated at Southgate County School
in north London, and read English and French at Birkbeck College
, University of London
. She was vice-president of the National Union of Students. She joined the Civil Service
in 1936, initially in HM Customs & Excise.
During World War II
, she worked at the Ministry of Information and the Foreign Office. A fluent Russian
speaker, she edited the British Ally, a newspaper published by the British government in the Soviet Union
. She also worked at the British Embassy in Moscow
. In 1948, she married general practitioner
Dr Santo Jeger
, who had been Member of Parliament
for St Pancras South East
since the 1945 UK general election
. She left the civil service in 1949, and worked for The Manchester Guardian
from 1951-55.
(1945-59) and the London County Council
(1952-1955). Her husband died in 1953 and she was selected as Labour's candidate in the resultant by-election in Holborn and St Pancras South
. She won the by-election, held on her birthday, by 1,976 votes, slightly increasing the Labour majority. She just retained her seat at the 1955 general election
by 931 votes, but lost the seat to the Conservatives
in the 1959 general election
by 656 votes, losing to Geoffrey Johnson Smith
.
Jeger was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee
, serving from 1960 to 1961 and again from 1968 to 1980. After a period working for The Guardian, she regained her seat in the 1964 general election
. The seat was renamed Camden, Holborn and St Pancras South
in 1974, and she retained it until the 1979 general election
. Despite the Conservative election victory, her seat was retained by Labour's Frank Dobson
.
Upon her retirement from the House of Commons, she was made a life peer
as Baroness Jeger, of St Pancras in Greater London
. In the House of Lords
, she served as opposition spokesman on health, and then on social security. She served as vice-chair of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee from 1978-79.
She was chairman of the party in 1979 to 1980, and was the first peer
to take the chair at the Labour party conference, at Blackpool in September 1980. She continued to write occasional pieces for The Guardian from 1964 to 2003, particularly obituaries. Before her death in February 2007, she was the oldest living female former UK Member of Parliament - after which Dame Peggy Fenner
acquired that honour.
and was granted a leave of absence
from the House of Lords
. She died, aged 91, on 26 February 2007. She had no children.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP, during two periods. She followed her husband as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Holborn and St Pancras South
Holborn and St Pancras South (UK Parliament constituency)
Holborn and St Pancras South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Holborn district of Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created for...
, holding the seat from 1953 to 1959. She retook the seat in 1964, retaining it until 1979, when she became a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
.
Early life
She was born Lena May Chivers in Yorkley, GloucestershireGloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. Her father was a postman
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
. She was educated at Southgate County School
Southgate School
Southgate School is a state comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Enfield. It has approximately 1574 pupils.The school has Specialist Science Status. The school is situated just east of the Cat Hill roundabout of the A111 and A110, between Cockfosters and Oakwood tube stations...
in north London, and read English and French at Birkbeck College
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. She was vice-president of the National Union of Students. She joined the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in 1936, initially in HM Customs & Excise.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she worked at the Ministry of Information and the Foreign Office. A fluent Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
speaker, she edited the British Ally, a newspaper published by the British government in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. She also worked at the British Embassy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. In 1948, she married general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
Dr Santo Jeger
Santo Jeger
Santo Wayburn Jeger was a British Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1945 until his death....
, who had been Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for St Pancras South East
St Pancras South East (UK Parliament constituency)
St. Pancras South East was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
since the 1945 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
. She left the civil service in 1949, and worked for The Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
from 1951-55.
Political career
Jeger was elected to the St. Pancras Borough CouncilMetropolitan Borough of St Pancras
The Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead and the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn to form the London Borough of Camden...
(1945-59) and the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
(1952-1955). Her husband died in 1953 and she was selected as Labour's candidate in the resultant by-election in Holborn and St Pancras South
Holborn and St Pancras South (UK Parliament constituency)
Holborn and St Pancras South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Holborn district of Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created for...
. She won the by-election, held on her birthday, by 1,976 votes, slightly increasing the Labour majority. She just retained her seat at the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
by 931 votes, but lost the seat to the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
by 656 votes, losing to Geoffrey Johnson Smith
Geoffrey Johnson Smith
Sir Geoffrey Johnson-Smith, PC, DL was a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament from 1959 to 2001, with only a brief interruption in the 1960s....
.
Jeger was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
, serving from 1960 to 1961 and again from 1968 to 1980. After a period working for The Guardian, she regained her seat in the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
. The seat was renamed Camden, Holborn and St Pancras South
Holborn and St Pancras South (UK Parliament constituency)
Holborn and St Pancras South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Holborn district of Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created for...
in 1974, and she retained it until the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
. Despite the Conservative election victory, her seat was retained by Labour's Frank Dobson
Frank Dobson
Frank Gordon Dobson, is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979...
.
Upon her retirement from the House of Commons, she was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baroness Jeger, of St Pancras in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
. In the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, she served as opposition spokesman on health, and then on social security. She served as vice-chair of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee from 1978-79.
She was chairman of the party in 1979 to 1980, and was the first peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
to take the chair at the Labour party conference, at Blackpool in September 1980. She continued to write occasional pieces for The Guardian from 1964 to 2003, particularly obituaries. Before her death in February 2007, she was the oldest living female former UK Member of Parliament - after which Dame Peggy Fenner
Peggy Fenner
Dame Peggy Edith Fenner, DBE is a British Conservative Party politician.Fenner was elected MP for Rochester and Chatham at the 1970 general election...
acquired that honour.
Death
Lena Jeger suffered from poor health in her last years. She was treated at the Royal Marsden hospital for cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and was granted a leave of absence
Leave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
from the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. She died, aged 91, on 26 February 2007. She had no children.
Archives
- Catalogue of the Jeger papers at the Archives Division of the London School of EconomicsLondon School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.