Diana Violet Constance Edith Spearman (22 February 1905 – 31 May 1991) was a British writer and conservative activist.

Early life

She was born in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to Sir Arthur Havelock James Doyle, Bt and Joyce Ethelreda Howard, who was a granddaughter of the 4th Marquess of Townshend'Diana Spearman', ''The Times'' (8 June 1991), p. 14. and the 17th Earl of Suffolk. She studied at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

from 1925 to 1931, where she was awarded the Social Science Certificate with distinction (1927) and the Academic Diploma in Psychology (1931). She also completed one year of the BSc (Economics) degree in 1927–28.Stéphane Porion, 'Diana Spearman's role within the post-war Conservative Party and in the ‘battle of ideas’ (1945–1965)', p. 259.

Politics

Spearman was appointed to the

Conservative Research Department The Conservative Research Department (CRD) is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters in Westminster. The CRD has been descri ...

as their first female researcher, a post she held from 1934 until 1939 and again from 1949 until 1965. She stood for

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

twice, both times as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate. The first was for Poplar South in the 1935 general election, where she lost to Labour's David Morgan Adams. However, she polled more than twice as many votes as the previous Conservative candidate. She contested Kingston upon Hull Central in the 1945 general election but lost to Labour's Mark Hewitson. In 1948, Spearman accepted

Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (8 May 1899 – 23 March 1992) was an Austrian-born British academic and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobe ...

's invitation to join the

Mont Pelerin Society The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS), founded in 1947, is an international academic society of Economist, economists, Political philosophy, political philosophers, and other Intelligentsia, intellectuals who share a classical liberal outlook. It is hea ...

and she was also an active member of the

Institute of Economic Affairs The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is a British right-wing free market think tank, which is registered as a charity. Associated with the New Right, the IEA describes itself as an "educational research institute", and says that it seeks to ...

. In 1965, she founded the short-lived Longbow Group. With

Roger Scruton Sir Roger Vernon Scruton, (; 27 February 194412 January 2020) was an English philosopher, writer, and social critic who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of Conservatism in the United Kingdom, c ...

and

Michael Oakeshott Michael Joseph Oakeshott (11 December 1901 – 19 December 1990) was an English philosopher. He is known for his contributions to the philosophies of history, religion, aesthetics, education, and law.Fuller, T. (1991) 'The Work of Michael Oakesh ...

, Spearman organised the Salisbury Group in the late 1970s, and in 1982 she co-founded ''

The Salisbury Review ''The Salisbury Review'' is a quarterly United Kingdom, British "magazine of Conservatism, conservative thought". It was founded in 1982 by the Salisbury Group, who sought to articulate and further traditional intellectual conservative ideas. The ...

'' with Scruton.

Personal life

She married Alexander Spearman in 1928. The marriage was dissolved in 1951. Latterly she was the companion of Labour MP and peer

Reginald Paget Reginald Thomas Guy Des Voeux Paget, Baron Paget of Northampton, QC (2 September 1908 – 2 January 1990), also known as Reginald Guy Thomas Du Voeux Paget, was a British lawyer and Labour politician. Career The son of Major Guy Paget, he w ...

Works

*''Modern Dictatorship'' (London: Jonathan Cape, 1939). *''Democracy in England'' (London: Rockliff, 1957). *''The Novel and Society'' (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1966). *''The Animal Anthology'' (London: Baker, 1966). *''A Time You Remember'' (Braunton: Merlin, 1989).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spearman, Diana 1905 births 1991 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates