Elizabeth Smith, Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill
Elizabeth Margaret Smith, Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill, DL (née Bennett; born 4 June 1940), is a British peer and patron of the arts. She is the widow of John Smith, who led the Labour Party from 1992 to 1994.
The Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 17 February 1995 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elizabeth Margaret Bennett 4 June 1940 |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Sarah and Catherine |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Born Elizabeth Margaret Bennett, Smith was educated at Hutchesons' Girls Grammar School and the University of Glasgow.[1]
Baroness Smith is the president of Scottish Opera and served as the chairman of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 1995 to 2012.[2] She is also a governor of the English-Speaking Union and a board member of the Centre for European Reform. Within a year of her husband's death, she was created a life peer as Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill, of Gilmorehill in the District of the City of Glasgow on 17 February 1995.[3] From 1998 to 2001, she served as president of Birkbeck College, University of London.[1] In 2002, she was elected a fellow of Birkbeck, one of the college's highest honours.[1]
Smith received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1998.[4]
She has three daughters, including Sarah Smith, who is the BBC News North America Editor, and Catherine Smith, who is Advocate General for Scotland.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Baroness Elizabeth Smith of Gilmorehill". Birkbeck.
- ^ "The Scotsman".
- ^ "No. 53963". The London Gazette. 22 February 1995. p. 2512.
- ^ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Ministerial appointment: 29 August 2024". Gov.UK. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
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