Teresa Gorman | |
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Member of Parliament for Billericay |
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In office 11 June 1987 – 7 June 2001 |
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Preceded by | Harvey Proctor |
Succeeded by | John Baron |
Personal details | |
Born |
Teresa Ellen Moore 30 September 1931 Putney, London, England, UK |
Died | 28 August 2015 UK |
(aged 83)
Nationality | British |
Political party |
Conservative UK Independence Party |
Spouse(s) | James Gorman (m. 1952–2007; his death) Peter Clarke (2010–2015; her death) |
Occupation | Politics, teaching, sales, property management |
Teresa Ellen Gorman (née Moore; 30 September 1931 – 28 August 2015) was a British politician. She was Conservative Member of Parliament for Billericay, in the county of Essex in England, from 1987 to 2001 when she stood down. She was a leading figure in the rebellions over the Maastricht Treaty that nearly brought down John Major's government. She worked in both education and business.
Gorman was born Teresa Ellen Moore at Putney. Her father was a demolition contractor, her mother a waitress. Educated at Fulham County School in London, she left grammar school at 16, at her parents' insistence, to start work, then trained to teach at Brighton College of Education (qualifying in 1951), and earned a double First in Biology and Zoology at University College, London, obtaining a 'Double First' (First Class Honours). After marrying her first husband, James Gorman, whose surname she would keep throughout her life, she worked on an exchange programme in New York City. Besides teaching she ran a business selling teaching aids, Banta, and was involved in property development with her first husband.
Under her maiden name Moore, Gorman attempted to enter the House of Commons as an Independent candidate for the Conservative-held seat of Streatham in the October 1974 general election, polling 210 votes. In the same year she founded (and later chaired) the Alliance of Small Firms & Self-Employed People. She later sat as an elected member of Westminster City Council from 1982 to 1986.