Violet Helen Attlee, Countess Attlee (' Millar; 20 November 1895 – 7 June 1964) was the wife of British politician and

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...

. She was

spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom To date, forty-seven women and three men have been married to a British prime minister in office. There have also been four bachelor and nine widower prime ministers; the last bachelor was Edward Heath (1970–1974) and the last widower was Ra ...

from 1945 until 1951.

Early life and education

Violet Helen Millar was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

as the tenth child and youngest daughter of Henry Edward Millar, a prosperous businessman. She had a twin sister, Olive Christine. Her early education took place in Hampstead before she went to

Saint Felix School Saint Felix School is a 2–18 mixed, private, day and boarding school in Reydon, Southwold, Suffolk, England. The school was founded in 1897 as a school for girls but is now co-educational. History The school was founded in 1897 as a girls' s ...

, a boarding school in

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the North Sea, in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth, Suffolk, River Blyth in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths ...

, and she worked as a VAD throughout the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In the summer of 1921, she went with her mother to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

; joining them on the trip were her brother Cedric and a former

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

friend, Clement Attlee. Within a few weeks of their return, Violet and Clement became engaged and were married at

Christ Church, Hampstead Christ Church, Hampstead, is a Church of England church in Hampstead, London. It is a church with particular connections to the old village of Hampstead and the Heath. Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Clement Attlee ...

on 10 January 1922. Theirs would be a devoted marriage. Their four children were: *Lady Janet Helen (1923–2019) *Lady Felicity Ann (1925–2007) * Martin Richard (1927–1991) *Lady Alison Elizabeth (1930–2016) Violet joined the Labour Party shortly after her marriage to Clement.

Later life

A kind, unassuming woman who was not, by her own admission, "a political wife", Violet Attlee assisted in personal matters, for instance arranging annual

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

parties at

Chequers Chequers ( ) is the English country house, country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is near the village of Ellesborough in England, halfway betwee ...

for the children of her husband's ministerial colleagues. She was constantly at Clement's side at party conferences, at innumerable gatherings overseas, and in the detailed chores of his political career. She acted as his regular driver during postwar elections. In August 1950, she joined London's

Civil Defence Corps The Civil Defence Corps (CDC) was a civilian volunteer organisation established in Great Britain in 1949 to mobilise and take local control of the affected area in the aftermath of a major national emergency, principally envisaged as being a Col ...

. Since 1915, she had had considerable experience with the

British Red Cross Society The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

, having led a detachment for a number of years. Frequently in poor health, Violet Attlee took ill suddenly, and was admitted to Amersham Hospital on 7 June 1964. Seven hours later, she died of a

cerebral haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

. With her were her husband, son, second daughter, and the latter's husband. Having been married to her for 42 years, Clement Attlee outlived his wife by three years.

Shorthand titles

* Miss Violet Millar (20 November 1895 – 10 January 1922) * Mrs Clement Attlee (10 January 1922 – 16 December 1955) *

The Rt Hon ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

The Countess Attlee (16 December 1955 – 7 June 1964)

References

Sources

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Attlee, Violet 1895 births 1964 deaths 20th-century British people 20th-century British women Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom British countesses People from Hampstead

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Vi ...

People educated at Saint Felix School