Dorothy Jewson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Norwich | |
| In office 6 December 1923 – 28 October 1924 Serving with Walter Robert Smith | |
| Preceded by | George Henry Roberts |
| Succeeded by | James Griffyth Fairfax |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 August 1884 Norwich |
| Died | 29 February 1964 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) |
R. Tanner Smith
(m. 1936; died 1939) |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
Dorothea Jewson (17 August 1884 – 29 February 1964), better known as Dorothy Jewson, was a British teacher, trade union organiser, Labour Party politician, and one of her party's first female Members of Parliament. Whilst at Girton College, Cambridge, she joined socialist organisations including the Independent Labour Party, and went on to campaign for Women's Suffrage in Norwich. She became the "Chief Organiser" of the women's section of National Union of General Workers, before leaving to work as a housemaid at a London hotel, investigating the working conditions there.
In 1923, she was elected as Member of Parliament in one of Norwich's two seats, one of the earliest Labour women to do so. After causing some initial controversy by not wearing a hat to Parliament, she gave her maiden speech in support of reducing the age of suffrage for women from 30 to 21, to match that of men. She was also a member of committees looking into legal aid and adoption. She lost her seat in the 1924 general election, and went on to become president of the Women's Birth Control Group, then a councillor in Norwich City Council, where she ensured the building many of Norwich's parks.