Betty Hanson

Betty Hanson (? - June 25, 2008) was a Manx politician and teacher. Hanson served as a Member of the House of Keys (MHK), the lower house of the Tynwald from 1974 until 1982 for the Douglas West constituency. cite news |first=|last=|title=Political pioneer Betty Hanson dies aged 89 |url=http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Political-pioneer-Betty-Hanson-dies.4225102.jp|work=Isle of Man Today |publisher=|date=2008-06-27 |accessdate=2008-07-07] She was elected to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man, the upper house of the Tynwald, in 1982, becoming the first woman ever elected to that particular legislature. She remained a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) until 1988.

Biography

Personal life

Hanson was born as Betty Lucas in Peel, Isle of Man. She teaching as her profession. Hanson taught at both St John's primary school and Douglas High School, where she taught art, history, home economics and English. Hanson's late husband, Eric Hanson, also pursued a career in education, serving as the head teacher of St Thomas's School for 27 years before joining the Albert Road Junior School in Ramsey.

Politics

Hanson entered the political realm when she joined the Isle of Man's Board of Education as a non-Tynwald member, where she served from 1971 until 1974. Following her election to the House of Keys in 1974, Hanson returned to chair the Board of Education as a full Tynwald member from 1976 until 1981. Hanson oversaw the creation of Queen Elizabeth II High School, the first secondary school in the western portion of the Isle of Man, and personally escorted the school's namesake, Queen Elizabeth II, on a tour of the facility in 1979.

She served as the chairman and chief planner of the Tynwald's Millennium Committee celebrations in 1979. In the weeks prior to the celebration, Hanson traveled to the United States as chairman, where she was instrumental in the establishment of the North American Manx Awards, which are still overseen by the Manx Board of Education. The awards were founded by Hanson and others as a way to acknowledge artistic achievements in Manx music, language, arts, culture and crafts.

Hanson became the first woman ever elevated to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man in 1982, a post she held until 1988. She continued to serve as governor of St Thomas's Café Primary School until her death in 2008. She was also the honorary vice president of the World Manx Association.

Death

Betty Hanson died on June 24, 2008, at the age of 89 at the Elder Grange Nursing Home in Douglas, Isle of Man. She had been in the care of the nursing home since February 2008. Hanson was survived by two sons, Leslie and Mark.

References

External links

* [http://northamericanmanx.org/nama/index.html North American Manx Association]
* [http://worldmanxassociation.com/ World Manx Association]