Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn
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The Right Honourable The Baroness Castle of Blackburn PC GCOT |
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| Secretary of State for Health and Social Services | |
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In office 5 March 1974 – 8 April 1976 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Keith Joseph |
| Succeeded by | David Ennals |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Services | |
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In office 19 October 1971 – 24 March 1972 |
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| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Shirley Williams |
| Succeeded by | John Silkin |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | |
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In office 19 June 1970 – 19 October 1971 |
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| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Succeeded by | James Callaghan |
| First Secretary of State | |
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In office 6 April 1968 – 19 June 1970 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Michael Stewart |
| Succeeded by | Michael Heseltine (1995) |
| Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity | |
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In office 6 April 1968 – 19 June 1970 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Ray Gunter |
| Succeeded by | Robert Carr |
| Minister for Transport | |
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In office 23 December 1965 – 6 April 1968 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Tom Fraser |
| Succeeded by | Richard Marsh |
| Minister for Overseas Development | |
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In office 18 October 1964 – 23 December 1965 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Greenwood |
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Member of the European Parliament for Greater Manchester |
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In office 17 July 1979 – 21 July 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Gary Titley |
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Member of Parliament for Blackburn |
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In office 27 July 1945 – 3 May 1979 |
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| Preceded by | George Sampson Elliston |
| Succeeded by | Jack Straw |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 October 1910 Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England |
| Died | 3 May 2002 (aged 91) Chiltern, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Edward Castle, Baron Castle (1944–1979, his death) |
| Alma mater | St Hugh's College, Oxford |
| a. ^ Office vacant from 19 June 1970 to 5 July 1995. | |
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, PC, GCOT (née Betts, 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979, making her the longest-serving female MP in the history of the House of Commons, until that record was broken in 2007 by Gwyneth Dunwoody. She later became the Member of the European Parliament for Greater Manchester from 1979 to 1989. One of the most significant Labour Party politicians of the 20th century, she served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Harold Wilson in a number of roles, including as Secretary of State for Employment, Secretary of State for Health and Social Services, and First Secretary of State.
The youngest of three children, she was born in Chesterfield to Frank and Annie Betts, and was brought up in Pontefract and Bradford. Castle was first introduced to socialist politics and beliefs from a young age, growing up in a politically active home. Her older sister, Marjorie, later became a pioneer of the Inner London Education Authority, while her brother Jimmie engaged in field work with Oxfam in Nigeria. She joined the Labour Party as a teenager.
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