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Betty Boothroyd

Betty Boothroyd was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in October 1929 and enjoyed a short career as a dancer, before deciding to follow a career in politics instead. In 1973 she won her first seat in parliament for West Bromwich (later West Bromwich West). A seat she would hold until stepping down in 2000.

In 1987 Betty Boothroyd was elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, the first Labour woman to be voted in as Deputy Speaker. In 1992 she was elected Speaker, the first ever female Speaker, with a majority of 134 votes. She retained this position until her retirement in 2000.

Betty Boothroyd has received several honorary degrees from British Universities and in 1995 she became the Chancellor of the Open University, a position she held until 2006. In 2001 she was created a Life Peer, taking as her title Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell in the West Midlands. Her autobiography was published in 2001.<

Betty Boothroyd has donated her archive papers to the Open University. The collection provides a fascinating insight into the world of modern politics - containing personal engagement files for each working week that she was Speaker from 1992 until 2000. The collection also contains materials related to her early years campaigning for seats in the House of Commons, including telegrams and letters from famous well-wishers and members of the public.

above right: official portrait of Betty Boothroyd as Speaker of the House of Commons, 1992; right: Betty Boothroyd as Chancellor of The Open University. 1995. Contact the Open University regarding re-use of these images.

Related collections

• Barbara Castle (1910-2002): Labour MP and Cabinet member. Member of the House of Lords from 1990. Collection includes Cabinet dairies 1965-71, 1974-1976; Betty Boothroyd was secretary to Barbara Castle in the 1950s (Bradford University Library)
• Jennie Lee (1904-1988): Labour MP and Cabinet member. Member of the House of Lords from 1970. Collection includes personal papers and photographs. Also includes papers of Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960), Jennie Lee's husband, Labour MP and Cabinet member; as the first Minister for Arts, Jennie Lee was largely responsible for the foundation of the Open University (Open University Archive).
• Ramsay MacDonald (1866-1937): first Labour Prime Minister in Britain; collection includes personal and political papers; MacDonald's government included the first woman to hold ministerial office (The University of Manchester, The John Rylands University Library)

Related links

• The Betty Boothroyd Collection and Open University Betty Boothroyd Collection Catalogue (Open University website)
• The Jennie Lee Collection and The Jennie Lee Collection Catalogue.(Open University website)
• Labour History Archive: includes the Labour Party Archives (People's History Museum, Manchester)
• UK Parliament: the Parliamentary Archives of the United Kingdom has their Portcullis online catalogue [website requires frames]
• Weatherill Papers: Bernard Weatherill (1920-2007) was Speaker of the House of Commons, 1983-1992 (University of Kent at Canterbury)
• Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd (1929-): nine photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Online exhibition: From Kitchen Table to Conference Table charts the politicisation of women through case studies, the exhibition is a showcase of collections from the National Co-operative Archive, the Labour History Archive and Study Centre, the Bishopsgate Institute, and the Working Class Movement Library.

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