Dame Adelaide Baillieu Doughty (née Shackell; 2 December 1908 – 12 August 1986) was an Australian-British political figure.

Biography

Adelaide Baillieu Shackell was born in Malvern, Victoria, Australia, the second of four children of Edward Herbert Shackell (1869–1932), a businessman and accountant, and his wife, Amy Baillieu (1870–1966). She was initially educated at home, and then at St. Catherine's School, Melbourne from the age of twelve. She was accepted by Melbourne University, but on the suggestion of her cousin

Clive Latham Baillieu Clive Latham Baillieu, 1st Baron Baillieu, KBE, CMG (24 September 1889 – 18 June 1967) was an Australian- British businessman, public servant, and rower. Biography Baillieu was born in Melbourne, the son of William Baillieu, an Australian pol ...

, travelled to England where she entered

St Hilda's College, Oxford St Hilda's College is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college is named after the Anglo-Saxon Saint, Hilda of Whitby and was founded in 1893 as a hall for women; it ...

, in 1928, graduating with a degree in Modern Greats. While at university she met lawyer Charles Addison Doughty. They were soon engaged and were married on 29 July 1931 at St Margaret's, Westminster. They had a son and a daughter. In 1947 Adelaide Doughty joined the

English-Speaking Union The English-Speaking Union (ESU) is an international educational membership organistation. Founded by the journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1918, it aims to bring together and empower people of different languages and cultures, by building skill ...

, being elected as an ESU Club Director in 1950, then Chairman of the Board of Club Directors in 1969, and finally served as a Governor from 1958 to 1972, when she resigned. In 1951 her husband was elected Member of Parliament for

East Surrey East Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Claire Coutinho, a Conservative. The seat covers an affluent area in the English county of Surrey. Since its creation in 1918, East Surrey has e ...

, and Doughty began to work for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. She served on the South-Eastern Area Women's Advisory Committee from 1951 to 1956, and was Chairman of the Women's National Advisory Committee from 1963 to 1966. She also served as Vice-Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations from 1964, where she supported Edward Heath's election as

party leader In a governmental system, a party leader acts as the official representative of their political party, either to a legislature or to the electorate. Depending on the country, the individual colloquially referred to as the "leader" of a political ...

, and became Chairman in 1967. She also served as President in 1978. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire "for political services in the South East" in the

1964 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

, and a Dame Commander in the

1971 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1971 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lond ...

. Doughty also served as a governor of the Skinners' Company's School for Girls in 1951, as director of the National Institute for Housecraft from 1966, and was a member of the Grand Council of the

Cancer Research Campaign Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

from 1974. She died at her home in Onslow Square, Kensington, London, on 12 August 1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doughty, Adelaide Baillieu 1908 births 1986 deaths People from Malvern, Victoria Alumni of St Hilda's College, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) officials Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom People educated at St Catherine's School, Melbourne