Betty Boothroyd

Betty Boothroyd (born October 8, 1929, Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, England—died February 26, 2023, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England) was a British Labour Party politician who was the first female speaker of the House of Commons (1992–2000). Boothroyd, whose parents were textile workers, grew up in northern England. She originally envisioned a career as a dancer, and after attending Dewsbury College of Commerce and Art, she performed for a time with a troupe called the Tiller...