Gwendolen Guinness, Countess of Iveagh

Gwendolen Florence Mary Guinness, Countess of Iveagh (née Onslow; 22 July 1881 – 16 February 1966) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and Conservative politician. She was, by marriage, a member of the Guinness brewing dynasty.

The Countess of Iveagh
Member of Parliament
for Southend
In office
19 November 1927 – 13 November 1935
Preceded byViscount Elveden
Succeeded byHenry Channon
Personal details
Born
Gwendolen Florence Mary Onslow

(1881-07-22)22 July 1881
Died16 February 1966(1966-02-16) (aged 84)
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
SpouseRupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh
ChildrenHon. Richard Guinness
Lady Honor Channon
Arthur Guinness, Viscount Elveden
Patricia Lennox-Boyd, Viscountess Boyd of Merton
Brigid, Princess Frederick of Prussia
Parent(s)William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow
Florence Gardner

Early life

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She was the daughter of William Hillier Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow (1853–1911), and Florence Coulston Onslow, née Gardner (1853–1934).

Marriage and career

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She was married to the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend, Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh. In 1927, he ceased to be an MP when he succeeded to his father's earldom. The Countess of Iveagh, as Gwendolen Guinness was now known, won the Southend by-election on 19 November 1927 to replace her husband as MP.[1] She received 54.6% of the vote at that election[2] and increased it at the 1931 general election. She served until her retirement at the 1935 general election.

When she retired in 1935, she was succeeded as MP by Henry "Chips" Channon, the husband of her eldest daughter, Honor Guinness. Another son-in-law, Alan Lennox-Boyd, was an MP (for Mid Bedfordshire 1931–60, and thus became, with Gwendolen, the first mother- and son-in-law pair of MPs.[2]

Clandon Park House

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In 1956 she presented her Surrey childhood home, Clandon Park House, to the National Trust.

Titles

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  • 1881 – 1903: The Lady Gwendolen Florence Mary Onslow
  • 1903 – 1919: The Lady Gwendolyn Guinness
  • 1919 – 1927: Viscountess Elveden
  • 1927 – 1966: The Right Honourable The Countess of Iveagh

References

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  1. ^ Martin Pugh (13 January 1992). Women and Women's Movement in Britain, 1914-1959. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-349-21850-9.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b Iain Dale; Jacqui Smith (4 September 2018). The Honourable Ladies: Volume I: Profiles of Women MPs 1918–1996. Biteback Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-78590-449-3.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Southend
19271935
Succeeded by