Margaret Thatcher waving at a tory party conference, 14 October 1977

Margaret Thatcher waving at a tory party conference, 14 October 1977. On the left is William Whitelaw, with Peter Carrington on the right. Margaret Hilda Thatcher (b 1925) studied chemistry at Oxford University, and worked as a research chemist before becoming a barrister in 1954. She began her parliamentary career in 1961. In 1970 she was made Secretary of State for Education and Science, and in 1974, Opposition Front-bench Spokesman. She was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, and in 1979 became Britain's first female prime minister (1979-1990). In 1992 she was elevated to the House of Lords to become Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven. ©SSPL/Manchester Daily Express