Maria Fyfe

Maria Fyfe
Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill
In office 1987 – 2001
Preceded by	James Craigen
Succeeded by	Ann McKechin
Majority	64.9% (1997)[1]
Personal details
Born	Maria O'Neill November 25, 1938 (1938-11-25) (age 72)
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	James Joseph Fyfe (deceased)
Alma mater	Strathclyde

Maria Fyfe is a politician in the United Kingdom and former Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill.

Early life

Born Maria O'Neill on 25 November 1938 to James O’Neill and Margaret Lacey, she became a member of the Labour Party in 1960. She came to education relatively later in life, studying Economic History at the University of Strathclyde and graduating in 1975. She worked as a senior lecturer in the Trade Union Studies Unit at Glasgow Central College of Commerce from 1978 to 1987. In 1980, she was elected to Glasgow District Council, serving as Vice-Convener of the Finance Committee from then until 1984, when she became Convener of the Personnel Committee. She remained in this position until 1987, when she was elected to Parliament.

Parliamentary career

In 1987, Fyfe was returned to Parliament as Member for Glasgow Maryhill, a position she occupied until 2001. She served as Deputy Shadow Minister for Women from 1988 to 1991, Convener of the Scottish Group of Labour MPs from 1991 to 1992, and front bench spokesperson for Scotland from 1992 to 1995. She chaired concurrently the Labour Party Departmental Committee on International Development and the Labour Group in the UK Delegation to the Council of Europe, both from 1997 to 2001. She stood down at the 2001 General Election and was succeeded by Anne McKechin. She was awarded an honorary D.Univ. by the University of Glasgow in 2002, the same year as Sir Fred Goodwin.^[2]

She was quoted as saying: "I am proudest of having been involved in the 50-50 campaign to ensure that the Scottish Parliament started life with an almost equal representation of women, up there with the Scandinavian countries".^[3]

Personal life

O'Neill married James Joseph Fyfe in 1964. She is widowed with two sons.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by James Craigen	Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill 1987–2001	Succeeded by Ann McKechin

References

• ‘FYFE, Maria’, Who's Who 2009, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2008 accessed 28 April 2009

1. ^ alba.org.uk: Glasgow Maryhill
2. ^ University of Glasgow :: University news :: June 2002
3. ^ Fyfe, Maria | Aristotle | guardian.co.uk Politics

Persondata
Name	Fyfe, Maria
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Date of birth	25 November 1938
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