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Mabel Philipson | |
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| Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed | |
| In office 31 May 1923 – 10 May 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Hilton Philipson |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Todd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mabel Russell 2 January 1886 Peckham, Surrey, England |
| Died | 9 January 1951 (aged 63) Brighton, Sussex, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
Mabel Philipson (née Russell; 2 January 1886 – 9 January 1951), known as Mrs Hilton Philipson when not on the stage, was a British actress and politician. Having starred in multiple plays in London, including a period as a Gaiety Girl, Philipson left acting to marry Hilton Philipson in 1917. Her husband stood for the National Liberal party in the 1922 general election and although he was successful, the result was declared void. Philipson ran for the Conservative party in the subsequent by-election in 1923, securing a larger majority than her husband did. In doing so, she became the third woman to take a seat in the House of Commons after it became legally possible in 1918, as Member of Parliament (MP) for Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Philipson did not enjoy speaking in Parliament, so focused her energies on committee work and in her constituency.[citation needed] She was part of a parliamentary delegation to Italy 1924, meeting Benito Mussolini, who described her as "la bella Russell". In 1927, she submitted a private member's bill that subsequently passed as the Nursing Homes Registration Act 1927. Philipson retired from politics in 1929, when her husband left politics to focus on his business, stating that "the reason why I have held the seat has ceased to exist". She returned to acting for a period, before leaving that profession to focus on her children.[citation needed]