Barbara Bodichon Ayrton-Gould (June 1886 – 14 October 1950) was a 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...

 politician in the United Kingdom

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...

.

She was born in Kensington, London, the daughter of English engineers Hertha Marks Ayrton

Hertha Marks Ayrton

Phoebe Sarah Hertha Ayrton, née Marks was an English engineer, mathematician and inventor.- Life and work :...

 and William Edward Ayrton

William Edward Ayrton

-See also:*Henry Dyer*John Milne*Anglo-Japanese relations...

. She married the writer Gerald Gould

Gerald Gould

Gerald Gould was an English writer, known as a journalist and reviewer, essayist and poet.-Life:He was brought up in Norwich, and studied at University College, London and Magdalen College, Oxford...

 (1885–1936); the artist Michael Ayrton

Michael Ayrton

Michael Ayrton was an English artist and writer, known as a painter, printmaker and sculptor, and also as a critic, broadcaster and novelist...

 (1921–1975) was their son.

Having served as Chair of the Labour Party from 1939 to 1940, Gould was elected 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 the newly created Hendon North constituency

Hendon North (UK Parliament constituency)

Hendon North was a constituency in the former Municipal Borough of Hendon which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

 in Labour's landslide victory of 1945

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...

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She held the seat until 1950

United Kingdom general election, 1950

The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...

, when it was gained by the Conservative

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...

 candidate Ian Orr-Ewing

Ian Orr-Ewing

Ian Orr-Ewing, Baron Orr-Ewing OBE CEng MIEE was a British Conservative politician.Orr-Ewing was a great-grandson of Sir Archibald Orr-Ewing, Bt. and was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Oxford...

. Gould died eight months after leaving the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

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