- Betty Hanson
Betty Hanson (? -
June 25 ,2008 ) was a Manxpolitician andteacher . Hanson served as aMember of the House of Keys (MHK), the lower house of theTynwald from 1974 until 1982 for theDouglas West constituency . cite news |first=|last=|title=Political pioneer Betty Hanson dies aged 89 |url=http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Political-pioneer-Betty-Hanson-dies.4225102.jp|work=Isle of Man Today |publisher=|date=2008-06-27 |accessdate=2008-07-07] She was elected to theLegislative Council of the Isle of Man , the upper house of the Tynwald, in 1982, becoming the first woman ever elected to that particularlegislature . She remained a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) until 1988.Biography
Personal life
Hanson was born as Betty Lucas in
Peel, Isle of Man . Sheteaching as her profession. Hanson taught at both St John's primary school and Douglas High School, where she taughtart ,history ,home economics and English. Hanson's late husband, Eric Hanson, also pursued a career ineducation , serving as thehead teacher of St Thomas's School for 27 years before joining the Albert Road Junior School in Ramsey.Politics
Hanson entered the political realm when she joined the
Isle of Man 'sBoard of Education as a non-Tynwald member, where she served from 1971 until 1974. Following her election to theHouse of Keys in 1974, Hanson returned to chair the Board of Education as a full Tynwald member from 1976 until 1981. Hanson oversaw the creation ofQueen Elizabeth II High School , the firstsecondary school in the western portion of the Isle of Man, and personally escorted the school'snamesake ,Queen Elizabeth II , on a tour of the facility in 1979.She served as the
chairman and chief planner of the Tynwald'sMillennium Committee celebrations in 1979. In the weeks prior to the celebration, Hanson traveled to the United States as chairman, where she was instrumental in the establishment of theNorth American Manx Awards , which are still overseen by the Manx Board of Education. The awards were founded by Hanson and others as a way to acknowledge artistic achievements in Manx music, language,arts ,culture andcrafts .Hanson became the first woman ever elevated to the
Legislative Council of the Isle of Man in 1982, a post she held until 1988. She continued to serve asgovernor of St Thomas's Café Primary School until her death in 2008. She was also the honoraryvice president of theWorld Manx Association .Death
Betty Hanson died on
June 24 ,2008 , at the age of 89 at the Elder Grange Nursing Home inDouglas, Isle of Man . She had been in the care of thenursing home since February 2008. Hanson was survived by two sons, Leslie and Mark.References
External links
* [http://northamericanmanx.org/nama/index.html North American Manx Association]
* [http://worldmanxassociation.com/ World Manx Association]
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