Jean Henderson

Jean Mary Henderson
Born	(1899-12-18)18 December 1899
Died	1 April 1997(1997-04-01)(aged 97)
Education	The Mount School, York,Bedford College,London University
Occupation(s)	Barrister,Liberal Partypolitician
Political party	Liberal Party
Parent(s)	John and Florence Henderson

Jean Mary Henderson(18 December 1899 – 1 April 1997) was a BritishbarristerandLiberal Partypolitician.

Date of birth

According toThe Timesnewspaper obituary of Jean Henderson, she was born on 18 December 1899,but the records of theLondon School of Economics and Political Sciencewhere her papers are kept, note the year of Henderson's birth as 1900.

Family

Henderson was the daughter of John and Florence Henderson. Her father was Secretary of theNational Liberal Clubfor twenty years and formerly worked in the Liberal Party publications department. Her mother taught scripture at Hall School,Weybridge.In religion her mother was aQuakerand her father a lapsedPresbyterian.She had one sister. She never married.

Education

Henderson started her education at Hall School, which has been described as an innovative and experimental establishment. The school was run by her aunt,Eva Gilpin(later Lady Sadler, wife ofSir Michael Sadler,Master ofUniversity College, Oxford). In 1949 Henderson co-edited a book about the school calledMiss Gilpin and the Hall School: A Record of Adventure and Achievement in Education(Bannisdale Press, London) and in 1988 she published another exploration of the school,A Lasting Spring: Miss Gilpin and the Hall School, Weybridge 1898–1934(William Sessions, York). After the Hall School, Henderson went toThe Mount School, York,aQuakerestablishment, where she wasHead Girl.

Henderson then went up toBedford College,London University, where she graduated in modern languages (French, German and Russian).

Career

On leaving university, Henderson first went to work in journalism, joining the foreign desk of theWestminster Gazette.She then transferred toThe Daily News,another Liberal newspaper. She also edited a magazine for the anti-warWomen's International Leagueand acted as part-time secretary toDavid Lowthe famous cartoonist.

In 1938, after the death of her parents, Henderson changed careers and went in for the law. She was admitted to theInner Templein 1940 andcalled to the Barin 1943. She then practised as a barrister on the London and Midland Circuits.She sat as an independent member of five Industrial Wages Councils and was Head of Chambers,5 Pump Court Chambers,Temple, from 1970 to 1979.She also sat as aJustice of the PeaceatWillesden.

Politics

Jean Henderson was strongly influenced by her parents. She followed her father's politics and supported the Liberal Party all her life but she was independent and determined enough to choose her own political beliefs and causes. She fought three general elections for the Liberals, all without success. Her first intervention was as prospective parliamentary candidate forSt Albansfrom 1936until 1941 but no election occurred during that period. During World War Two, Henderson lectured on current events to troops under theWar OfficeScheme for Education and also served as anair raid wardeninHampstead Garden Suburb.In 1941, Henderson was one of the prominent women speakers at a rally inTrafalgar Square,attended by over two thousand people, to protest at the unequal treatment of women in compensation for injuries received in air raids. Under the regulations of the time women received 7 shillings a week less than male civilians for the same injuries even though they faced equal danger in their homes, as targets in industry or working in civil defence. Among the other speakers wereLady Astor,Edith Summerskilland the pianistHarriet Cohen.

At the1945 general electionHenderson stood as Liberal candidate forBarnet.This was won by theLabourby 682 votes, and she lost herdeposit.In1950Henderson switched her attentions toLincoln,this time with even less success, taking less than 9% of the vote and again losing her deposit.She did not contest a seat at the1951 general electionbut she returned to the fray, first by becoming prospective parliamentary candidate forWatfordin 1953 but then changing constituencies to fight atLutonin1955.Again she came third and again she lost her deposit.

Henderson tried her hand at local elections too. She contestedHendon Borough Councilelections in Garden Suburb Ward in 1949 and 1953 but did not get elected. In 1964 she was a Liberal candidate forHampstead Garden Suburb in the Barnet London Borough Council elections.The Liberal candidates comfortably out-polled Labour and finished strong runners up to the Conservatives. She was Honorary Secretary of theWomen's Liberal Federationfrom 1941 until 1949 and served on the Executive of the Liberal Candidates' Association.She was President of Hampstead Garden Suburb Ward Liberal Association and a member of the management board of the Gladstone Benevolent Fund for Liberal Agents, (1973–1988).

Saving Hampstead Garden Suburb

In 1962 the Hampstead Garden Suburb Protection Society was set up with the aim of preserving the essential character and independence of the area in the face possible changes and development when the area was acquired by a private property company. Henderson was elected the first chairman.The membership of the Society grew to around 3,000 and they were able to sponsor a private bill in Parliament to safeguard the future of the suburb.In 1968, Henderson became one of the first directors of the New Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust, which was granted powers to refuse proposed developments in the area which they believed were harmful to its character.

Papers

A substantial collection of Jean Henderson's papers covering her political work during the years 1916–1993, have been deposited in the LSE Library. There is also material relating to her legal career between 1938 and 1993.