English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Margaret Beckett

Margaret Mary Beckett, Baroness Beckett, is a British politician who was the United Kingdom's first female Foreign Secretary and a member of Parliament (MP) for more than 45 years, first from 1974 to 1979 and then from 1983 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she was and served as a minister under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Beckett was Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1992 to 1994, and briefly Leader of the Opposition and acting Leader of the Labour Party following John Smith's death in 1994. A member of the Labour Party, she served as MP for Lincoln from 1974 to 1979, and for Derby South from 1983 to 2024.

Born

1943

January 15

Died

Living

Era

1940s

Country

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About

Margaret, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1943 Born

Also on January 15

What else happened on this day, through history

69 Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months.
1535 King Henry VIII issues letters patent incorporating the title Supreme Head of the Church of England into his royal title.
1541 King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith".
1559 Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England and Ireland in Westminster Abbey, London.

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The world in 1943

When Margaret arrived

april 13 World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
april 13 The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson's birth.
april 16 Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.
april 18 World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on January 15

Alexander Griboyedov 1795–1829 Russian poet, playwright, and composer (born 1795) Andrea Martin 1947– American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter Drew Brees 1979– American football player Henry Burr 1882– Canadian singer, radio performer, and producer (died 1941) Khalid Islambouli 1955– Egyptian lieutenant (died 1982) Lewis Terman 1877– American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (died 1956) Marty Lyons 1957– American football player and sportscaster Mihai Eminescu 1850–1889 Romanian journalist, author, and poet (died 1889) Molière 1622–1673 French actor and playwright (born 1622)

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1943

Albano Carrisi 1943– Italian singer, actor, and winemaker Blythe Danner 1943– American actress Burt Rutan 1943– American engineer and pilot Davey Johnson 1943– American baseball player and manager (died 2025) Eddie Low 1943–2024 New Zealand country singer and musician (died 2024) Emerson Boozer 1943– American football player and sportscaster Florence Ballard 1943–1976 American singer (born 1943) Gamini Lokuge 1943– Sri Lankan politician (died 2025) Gary Wright 1943– American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (died 2023)

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Margaret's birthday January 15 Margaret's zodiac Capricorn When Margaret arrived 1943