Nancy Astor

Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor (1879–1964), was an American-born British politician and socialite. Born Nancy Witcher Langhorne in Danville, Virginia, she moved to Britain and married Waldorf Astor in 1906. When her husband inherited a peerage and left the House of Commons, she stood for his seat and in 1919 became the first woman to take a seat as a Member of Parliament, representing Plymouth Sutton. She served as MP from 1919 to 1945. Astor was associated with the influential “Cliveden set” at the Astor family home, Cliveden, and was a prominent public figure in interwar Britain.