Gloria Hooper, Baroness Hooper

Gloria Dorothy Hooper, Baroness Hooper CMG, FRSA, FRGS (born 25 May 1939) is a British lawyer and a life peer in the House of Lords.

The daughter of Frederick Hooper and Frances Maloney, she was educated at La Sainte Union Convent and at the Royal Ballet School. Hooper was further educated at the University of Southampton, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in law in 1960 and at Universidad Central del Ecuador, where she was a Rotary Foundation Fellow.

Legal background

Hooper was assistant to the chief registrar of John Lewis Partnership between 1960 and 1961 and editor in current law of Sweet & Maxwell, Law Publishers between 1961 and 1962. From 1962 to 1967, she was information officer, to the Winchester City Council and from 1967 to 1972, assistant solicitor with Taylor and Humbert. In 1972 and 1973, Hooper was legal adviser to Slater Walker France S.A. Between 1974 and 1984, she was partner with Taylor and Humbert (now Taylor, Wessing).

Political career

An active member of the Conservative Party, Hooper was the party's candidate for Liverpool in the 1979 European Parliament election. Although the seat was thought safe Labour, Hooper won it by 7,227; the Labour candidate was Terry Harrison, a member of the Militant Tendency. Comparing the election with the total votes cast in the 1979 general election five weeks previously, the swing to the Conservatives was the highest in the country. Hooper was defeated in the 1984 election in the Merseyside West constituency.

Affiliations

* Law Society of England and Wales,member
* President of the British Educational Suppliers Association
* Vice-President of Canning House (Hispanic and Luso Brazilian Council)
* President of Waste Watch
* President of the European Foundation For Heritage Skills
* Institute for the Study of the Americas (University of London), councilmember
* President of Good Guy's Cancer Appeal
* President of the Anglo Latin-American Foundation
* President of the Friends of Colombia for Social Aid

Fellowships

She is a trustee of the Royal Academy of Dance, the Centre for Global Energy Studies and the National Museums and Galleries of Merseyside Development Trust. She is a trustee for the Industry and Parliament Trust (and fellow) and a trustee for "The Tablet". She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the Royal Geographical Society.

Peerage

She was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) and on 10 June 1985, she was created a life peer with the title Baroness Hooper, of Liverpool and St James's in the City of Westminster. She is also a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great.

Awards

* Venezuelan Order of Francisco de Miranda
* Colombian Order of Boyaca Gran Cruz
* Ecuadoran National Order of Merit

References

*cite web | url= http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=27028| title= DodOnline| accessdate= 2007-04-02