# Margaret Kidd

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{{Short description|Scottish legal advocate, editor and politician (1900–1989)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = 
| name               = Dame Margaret Kidd
| honorific_suffix   = {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=,|DBE|QC|size=100%}}
| image              = 
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| landscape          = 
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| caption            = 
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| pronunciation      = 
| birth_name         = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1900|03|14|df=y}}
| birth_place        = Carriden, near [Bo'ness](/source/Bo'ness), [Scotland](/source/Scotland)
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1989|03|22|1900|03|14|df=y}}
| death_place        = [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge), England
| death_cause        = 
| burial_place       = 
| other_names        = Margaret Henderson MacDonald
| citizenship        = 
| education          = [Linlithgow Academy](/source/Linlithgow_Academy)
| alma_mater         = [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh)
| occupation         = [advocate](/source/advocate), [King's Counsel](/source/King's_Counsel), [sheriff](/source/sheriff), [editor](/source/editor)
| years_active       = 1923–1974
| era                = 
| employer           = 
| organization       = 
| agent              = 
| known_for          = first woman member of the [Faculty of Advocates](/source/Faculty_of_Advocates) (1923)<br/>first British woman King's Counsel (1948)<br/>first woman advocate to appear before the [House of Lords](/source/House_of_Lords) and before a [parliamentary select committee](/source/Select_committee_(United_Kingdom))
| notable_works      = 
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| spouse             = Donald Somerled MacDonald [WS](/source/Writer_to_the_Signet), 22 March 1930–1958 (his death)
| children           = 1 daughter
| mother             = 
| father             = [James Kidd (politician)](/source/James_Kidd_(politician)) (1872–1928)
| relatives          = 
| awards             = Honorary [LLD](/source/LLD), [University of Dundee](/source/University_of_Dundee) (1981)<br/>Honorary LLD, [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) (1984)
}}

'''Dame Margaret Henderson Kidd, Mrs MacDonald''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DBE|QC|sep=,|size=100}} (14 March 1900 – 22 March 1989) was a Scottish legal advocate, editor and politician. She was the first woman to become a member of the [Faculty of Advocates](/source/Faculty_of_Advocates), the first woman advocate to appear before the [House of Lords](/source/House_of_Lords) and before a [parliamentary select committee](/source/Select_committee_(United_Kingdom)) and in 1948, the first British woman [King's counsel](/source/King's_counsel).<ref>{{Citation|title=Macdonald, Dame Margaret (Henderson) (Dame Margaret Kidd), (14 March 1900–22 March 1989), QC (Scotland), 1948; Sheriff Principal of Perth and Angus, 1966–74 (of Dumfries and Galloway, 1960–66)|date=2007-12-01|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-166607|work=Who Was Who|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u166607|isbn=978-0-19-954089-1|access-date=2019-04-21|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-49228|title=Kidd [married name MacDonald], Dame Margaret Henderson (1900–1989), lawyer|last=Poole|first=Isobel Anne|date=2004-09-23|volume=1|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/49228|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8}}</ref>

==Early life==
Kidd was born on 14 March 1900 in Carriden, near [Bo'ness](/source/Bo'ness) in West Lothian, [Scotland](/source/Scotland).<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Scotlandspeople">{{cite web |url=https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/scotlands-history-dame-margaret-henderson-kidd-qc |title=Scotland's History: Dame Margaret Henderson Kidd QC |date=14 March 2017 |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref> She was the elder daughter of nine children<ref name="By">{{Cite web|url=https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/k/margaretkidd.html|title=Dame Margaret Kidd: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland|last=By|first=Undiscovered Scotland|website=www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-06-12}}</ref> to Janet Gardner Kidd (''née'' Turnbull, 1872–1930), a schoolteacher, and [James Kidd](/source/James_Kidd_(politician)) (1872–1928), [solicitor](/source/solicitor) and [Unionist](/source/Unionist_Party_(Scotland)) [MP](/source/member_of_parliament) for [Linlithgowshire](/source/Linlithgowshire_(UK_Parliament_constituency)).<ref name=":0" /> She was educated at [Linlithgow Academy](/source/Linlithgow_Academy) and the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh), graduating in 1922 with an [MA](/source/Master_of_Arts_(Scotland)) and [LLB](/source/Bachelor_of_Laws).<ref name="Herald obituary">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TDFAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2576%2C2401360 |title=Dame Margaret Kidd, pioneer of women in law, dies aged 89 |work=[The Glasgow Herald](/source/The_Glasgow_Herald) |date=27 March 1989 |page=16 |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref>

==Career==
Kidd had hoped to pursue a diplomatic career however this was not considered possible despite the [Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919](/source/Sex_Disqualification_(Removal)_Act_1919). She undertook her professional legal training at Mitchell and Baxter, [Writers to the Signet](/source/Writers_to_the_Signet) in Edinburgh,<ref name=":0" /><ref>First Hundred Years</ref> and in July 1923 qualified as an Advocate becoming the [Faculty of Advocates](/source/Faculty_of_Advocates) first female member.<ref name=":0" /> She remained the only female member of the Faculty until 1948. Her legal practice was varied with a focus on [family law](/source/family_law).<ref name=":0" />

After the death of her father in 1928 she contested his parliamentary seat at the [by-election](/source/1928_Linlithgowshire_by-election), also as a Unionist, but was defeated by [Emanuel Shinwell](/source/Manny_Shinwell%2C_Baron_Shinwell).

She was the first woman advocate to appear before the [House of Lords](/source/House_of_Lords) and before a [parliamentary select committee](/source/Select_committee_(United_Kingdom)). In 1948, she became the first British woman [King's Counsel](/source/King's_Counsel) in Britain: [Frances Moran](/source/Frances_Moran) was the first woman to take silk in the British Isles, having become an Irish [senior counsel](/source/senior_counsel) in 1941. She was appointed [Sheriff Principal](/source/Sheriff_Principal), the first woman to occupy this position, for [Dumfries and Galloway](/source/Sheriff_of_Dumfries_and_Galloway) in 1960,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4ys1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=2KULAAAAIBAJ&pg=2537%2C3442240|title=Scotland's First Woman Sheriff|work=The Glasgow Herald|date=25 March 1960|page=1|accessdate=14 November 2017}}</ref> and from 1966 to her retirement in 1974 Sheriff Principal of [Perth and Angus](/source/Sheriff_of_Perth_and_Angus). She was the [editor](/source/editing) of the Court of Session law reports of the [Scots Law Times](/source/Scots_Law_Times) from 1942 to 1976.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women|first= Elizabeth|last= Ewan|page=196}}</ref>

Kidd served as Keeper of the [Advocates Library](/source/Advocates_Library) 1956–1969.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4038603.stm |title=Woman's historic legal selection |work=BBC News |date=24 November 2004 |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref>

Apart from her legal work she maintained an active public and charitable role. She was a founder member of the [Stair Society](/source/Stair_Society) and a vice-president of the [Federation of University Women](/source/International_Federation_of_University_Women) and the [Electrical Association for Women](/source/Electrical_Association_for_Women). She had then become the vice-president of the Federation of University Women<ref name="By"/> [Queen's Nursing Institute](/source/Queen's_Nursing_Institute).<ref name=":0" /> Kidd also championed improvements to women's access to work and promoted equal opportunities. In 1930, she made a speech at the [University of Glasgow](/source/University_of_Glasgow) entitled "Law as a Profession of Women" where she commented on the difficulty of being a female advocate given they were dependent on male solicitors for work, and discussed how old lawyers were "inclined to be distrustful of women". ''The Scotsman'' reported: "she did not want them to think that she had not received fair play. She had had an easy time, but she did not think that she had been so successful as she would have been had she been a man."<ref name="first100">{{cite web |title=Margaret Kidd |url=https://first100years.org.uk/margaret-kidd/ |publisher=First 100 Years |accessdate=23 June 2018|date=2018-05-24 }}</ref>

==Awards==
She was made a [Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) in the [1975 Birthday Honours](/source/1975_Birthday_Honours).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eJBAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6KQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2280%2C2965232 |title=Leaders in law and public service |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=14 June 1975 |page=3 |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref> She received an honorary [LLD](/source/Legum_Doctor) from the [University of Dundee](/source/University_of_Dundee) in 1982<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NQE-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=bEkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5099%2C2916112 |title=Royal visitor at graduation |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=17 July 1982 |page=3 |accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref> and the [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) in 1984.<ref name="Herald obituary"/>

==Personal life==
In 1930, she married Donald Somerled MacDonald, [WS](/source/Writer_to_The_Signet). They had a daughter, Anne.<ref name="Scotlandspeople"/> Her husband died in 1958.<ref name="Herald obituary"/> Margaret had a number of interests beyond the law, including politics. She supported Scotland remaining in the United Kingdom, and believed that trade would grow worse if Scotland became independent.<ref name="first100"/>

==Death==
left|thumb|200px|The grave site of Margaret Kidd and her husband at Carriden old church, Bo'ness.
She died on 22 March 1989 in [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge), [England](/source/England), aged 89.<ref name=":0" /> A funeral service was held at the [Canongate Kirk](/source/Canongate_Kirk), Edinburgh.<ref name="Scotlandspeople"/> A [eulogy](/source/eulogy) by [Lord Hope of Craighead](/source/David_Hope%2C_Baron_Hope_of_Craighead) concluded: "Her success was won by strength of character, courage and integrity and it is a mark of her true qualities that, despite what might seem to be the revolutionary nature of her achievements, she always held the affection and respect of others."<ref name="Herald obituary"/>

== See also ==
* [First women lawyers around the world](/source/First_women_lawyers_around_the_world)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidd, Margaret}}
Category:1900 births
Category:1989 deaths
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People from Bo'ness
Category:Members of the Faculty of Advocates
Category:People educated at Linlithgow Academy
Category:Unionist Party (Scotland) parliamentary candidates
Category:20th-century King's Counsel
Category:Scottish editors
Category:Scottish women editors
Category:Scottish King's Counsel
Category:Scottish sheriffs
Category:Women sheriffs
Category:Graduate Women International people
Category:20th-century Scottish lawyers
Category:Scottish lawyers
Category:20th-century Scottish women writers
Category:20th-century Scottish women politicians
Category:20th-century Scottish women lawyers
Category:Lawyers awarded damehoods

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Margaret Kidd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Kidd) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Kidd?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.