Her Grace The Duchess of Atholl DBE |
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Member of Parliament for Kinross and West Perthshire |
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In office 1923 – 28 November 1938 |
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Preceded by | James Gardiner |
Succeeded by | William McNair Snadden |
Personal details | |
Born |
Edinburgh |
6 November 1874
Died | 21 October 1960 Edinburgh |
(aged 85)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Scottish Unionist Party |
Spouse(s) | John Stewart-Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine (later Duke of Atholl) |
Relations |
Sir James Henry Ramsay, 10th Baronet (father); John, 7th Duke of Atholl, KT (father-in-law) |
Children | None |
Residence | Blair Castle and London |
Alma mater | Royal College of Music |
Profession | Social reformer; parliamentarian |
Religion | Christian (Church of Scotland) |
Katharine Marjory Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl, DBE (6 November 1874 – 21 October 1960), née Ramsay, and known as the Marchioness of Tullibardine from 1899 to 1917, was a Scottish noblewoman and Scottish Unionist Party politician whose views were often unpopular in her party.
Katharine Marjory Ramsay was born in Edinburgh on 6 November 1874, the daughter of Sir James Henry Ramsay, 10th Baronet. She was educated at Wimbledon High School and the Royal College of Music. During her school years she was known as Kitty Ramsay. On 20 July 1899, she married John Stewart-Murray, Marquess of Tullibardine, who succeeded his father as 8th Duke of Atholl in 1917, whereupon she became formally styled Duchess of Atholl.
Known as "Kitty", Stewart-Murray was active in Scottish social service and local government and in 1912 served on the hugely influential "Highlands and Islands Medical Service Committee" (authors of the Dewar Report) that has been widely credited with creating the forerunner of the National Health Service; she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1918.
She was the Scottish Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) for Kinross and West Perthshire from 1923–38, and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education from 1924–29, the first woman to serve in a UK Conservative and Unionist government.