- Norma Major
-
Dame Norma Major Spouse of the Prime Minister
of the United KingdomIn office
28 November 1990 - 2 May 1997Monarch Elizabeth II Prime Minister John Major Preceded by Denis Thatcher Succeeded by Cherie Blair Personal details Born Norma Wagstaff
12 February 1942Nationality British Spouse(s) John Major Children James Major
Elizabeth MajorOccupation Businesswoman Religion Anglican Dame Norma Christina Elizabeth Major, DBE[1][2] (née Johnson, born Wagstaff, 12 February 1942), is the wife of Sir John Major, the former British Prime Minister.
Biography
She is the daughter of the late Norman Wagstaff and the late Edith Johnson, and was born Norma Christina Elizabeth Wagstaff. She was born in Shropshire while her father was stationed there. He was killed in a motorcycle accident a few days after the end of World War II, when Norma was three years old, and her mother subsequently changed the family name back to her maiden name, so that she was called Norma Johnson as she was growing up.
Norma was educated at a boarding school in Bexhill-on-Sea, Oakfield Preparatory School in Dulwich, and Peckham School for Girls where she was Head Girl. She was a skilled dressmaker and trained as a teacher, working at St Michael and All Angels Church of England School, Camberwell. She was also a member of the Young Conservatives.[3]
It was at a Conservative Party meeting during the campaign for the 1970 Greater London Council elections that she was introduced to John Major by Peter Golds, a party agent who knew both. Barely six months later, on 3 October 1970, they were married.
The Majors have a son, James Major,[4] and a daughter, Elizabeth Major.[5] She kept a low profile during her time as wife to the Prime Minister (November 1990 to May 1997), doing charity work and writing two books, Chequers: The Prime Minister's Country House and its History (1997) and Joan Sutherland: The Authorised Biography (1994).
She was, in 1993, the subject of an unauthorised but well-regarded biography Norma - A Biography by the Daily Telegraph journalist Tim Walker. She was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, in recognition of her charity work.[1] She and her husband are one of the few couples to both hold titles in their own right.
Titles from birth
Major's styles since her birth in chronological order are:
- Miss Norma Wagstaff (1942–45)
- Miss Norma Johnson (1945–70)
- Mrs. John Major (1970–99)
- Dame Norma Major, DBE (1999–present)
- Lady Major, DBE (2005–present)
Norma Major has been created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and she is named as Dame Norma Major in legal documents. As the wife of a Knight of the Garter, she may use also the courtesy title of "Lady" as a prefix to her surname, provided she uses her husband’s surname. Although this title places her higher in the Order of Precedence than her Damehood, she prefers to use the style Dame Norma Major as she acquired this distinction in her own right.
References
- ^ a b "Norma Major honoured for fundraising". BBC. 12 June 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/06/99/queens_birthday_honours/366850.stm. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- ^ Note: a wife of a knight who is also appointed a dame, may choose between her own style, Dame [given names] [surname], or the style of a wife of a knight, Lady [surname]. See Debrett's Online - Forms of Addresses: Address a Dame. Norma prefers to use the style Dame Norma Major as she acquired this distinction in her own right.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Major minor goes home". BBC. Saturday, 29 July 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/856593.stm. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- ^ "The miraculous Major-Balls". BBC. May 21, 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/348932.stm. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
Honorary titles Preceded by
Sir Denis ThatcherSpouse of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1990–1997Succeeded by
Cherie BlairJohn Major Government Politics - Conservative Party
- Huntingdon
- Shadow Cabinet
General elections Party elections Family - Norma Major (wife)
- Terry Major-Ball (brother)
- Tom Major-Ball (father)
Wikimedia Categories:- 1942 births
- Living people
- Alumni of London South Bank University
- Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Spouses of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom
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