Dehra Parker
Encyclopedia
Dame Dehra S. Parker, GBE
, PC (NI)
(13 August 1882 - 30 November 1963) was the longest serving woman MP in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.
, India
, in 1882, the daughter of James Kerr-Fisher of Kilrea
, County Londonderry
. She was educated in America, where her father held extensive property holdings, and in Germany . The surname has been spelled, alternatively as Ker-Fisher or
Ker Fisher.
(d. 1921) with whom she had one son and one daughter, both of whom predeceased her.
She married, secondly, Admiral Henry Wise Parker (CB
, CMG) on 4 June 1928.
, as Dehra Chichester (which she was known as prior to her second marriage in 1928), in the Northern Ireland general election, 1921. She stood down at the 1929 election
but was again elected in the 1933 election
for the South Londonderry constituency following the death of her son-in-law James Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark
, and served until her resignation on 15 June 1960. Her grandson, James Chichester-Clark
, was elected unopposed at the subsequent by-election.
From her re-election in 1933 until her retirement in 1960, Dame Dehra faced opposition only once. During the 1949 Northern Ireland General Election, with anti-partition agitation a common theme across the region, she was opposed in South Londonderry by a Nationalist Party candidate, T.B. Agnew, whom she defeated.
She was a Parliamentary Secretary
to the Ministry of Education
from 1 December 1937 to 15 March 1944. Dame Dehra was also Chair of the Northern Ireland General Health Services Board from 1948 to 1949. She served as Minster of Health and Local Government from 26 August 1949 to 13 March 1957 and became a member of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
in 1949.
She was promoted to be a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in the 1949 Birthday honours "for public services", having previously been awarded the OBE.
Her promotion to the Cabinet under Viscount Brookeborough
was part of his reforming premiership; his predecessor having been criticised for appointing very elderly members to Cabinet. She was the first woman to serve in the Northern Ireland Cabinet.
rural district council, president of both the Northern Ireland Physical Training Association and the
Girls' Training Corps, chairman of the Ancient Monuments Advisory Committee, and chairman and later president of the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts in the province.
, County Londonderry, on 28 November 1963, aged 81. She was interred two days later in the grounds of Christ Church, Castledawson.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, PC (NI)
Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Privy Council of Northern Ireland was a formal body of advisors to the sovereign and was a vehicle for the monarch's prerogative powers in Northern Ireland. It was modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....
(13 August 1882 - 30 November 1963) was the longest serving woman MP in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.
Family life
Dehra Kerr-Fisher was born in a military hospital in Dehra Dun, north of DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in 1882, the daughter of James Kerr-Fisher of Kilrea
Kilrea
Kilrea is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the River Bann, which marks the boundary between County Londonderry and County Antrim...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
. She was educated in America, where her father held extensive property holdings, and in Germany . The surname has been spelled, alternatively as Ker-Fisher or
Ker Fisher.
Marriages
She was married on two occasions, firstly to Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Peel Dawson Spencer Chichester, MPRobert Chichester
Lt.-Col. Robert Peel Dawson Spencer Chichester DL, JP was an Irish soldier and politician. He was the son of Lord Adolphus John Spencer Churchill Chichester and Mary Dawson of Castledawson Lt.-Col. Robert Peel Dawson Spencer Chichester DL, JP (13 August 1873 – 10 December 1921) was an Irish...
(d. 1921) with whom she had one son and one daughter, both of whom predeceased her.
She married, secondly, Admiral Henry Wise Parker (CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG) on 4 June 1928.
Political career
Dame Dehra was first elected as a Member of Parliament for LondonderryLondonderry (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Londonderry was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned five MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
, as Dehra Chichester (which she was known as prior to her second marriage in 1928), in the Northern Ireland general election, 1921. She stood down at the 1929 election
Northern Ireland general election, 1929
-References:*...
but was again elected in the 1933 election
Northern Ireland general election, 1933
-References:*...
for the South Londonderry constituency following the death of her son-in-law James Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark
James Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark
James Jackson Lenox-Conyngham Chichester-Clark was a Member of Parliament of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for South Londonderry from 1929 until his death. His son James Chichester-Clark later became Prime Minister of Northern Ireland...
, and served until her resignation on 15 June 1960. Her grandson, James Chichester-Clark
James Chichester-Clark
James Dawson Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola, PC, DL was the penultimate Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1969 and March 1971. He was Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament for South Londonderry for 12 years beginning at the by-election...
, was elected unopposed at the subsequent by-election.
From her re-election in 1933 until her retirement in 1960, Dame Dehra faced opposition only once. During the 1949 Northern Ireland General Election, with anti-partition agitation a common theme across the region, she was opposed in South Londonderry by a Nationalist Party candidate, T.B. Agnew, whom she defeated.
She was a Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (United Kingdom)
The administration of education policy in the United Kingdom began in the 19th century. Official mandation of education began with the Elementary Education Act 1870 for England and Wales, and the Education Act 1872 for Scotland...
from 1 December 1937 to 15 March 1944. Dame Dehra was also Chair of the Northern Ireland General Health Services Board from 1948 to 1949. She served as Minster of Health and Local Government from 26 August 1949 to 13 March 1957 and became a member of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland
Privy Council of Northern Ireland
The Privy Council of Northern Ireland was a formal body of advisors to the sovereign and was a vehicle for the monarch's prerogative powers in Northern Ireland. It was modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom....
in 1949.
She was promoted to be a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 1949 Birthday honours "for public services", having previously been awarded the OBE.
Her promotion to the Cabinet under Viscount Brookeborough
Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough
Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, Bt, KG, CBE, MC, PC, HML was an Ulster Unionist politician who became the third Prime Minister of Northern Ireland in 1943 and held office until 1963....
was part of his reforming premiership; his predecessor having been criticised for appointing very elderly members to Cabinet. She was the first woman to serve in the Northern Ireland Cabinet.
Extra-Parliamentary activities
Outside of parliamentary activities Dame Dehra was a long-serving local councillor on MagherafeltMagherafelt
Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...
rural district council, president of both the Northern Ireland Physical Training Association and the
Girls' Training Corps, chairman of the Ancient Monuments Advisory Committee, and chairman and later president of the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts in the province.
Later life
She died at her home, Shanemullagh House, CastledawsonCastledawson
Castledawson is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is mostly within the townland of Shanemullagh , about four miles from the north-western shore of Lough Neagh, and close to the market town of Magherafelt...
, County Londonderry, on 28 November 1963, aged 81. She was interred two days later in the grounds of Christ Church, Castledawson.