Thatcher, Margaret Hilda

Born Oct. 13, 1925. British political figure.

Thatcher was educated at Oxford University. She was first elected to Parliament in 1959 as a member of the Conservative Party. From 1961 to 1964 she was parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, and from 1970 to 1974 she served as secretary of state for education and science in E. Heath’s cabinet. Thatcher became the leader of the Conservative Party in February 1975 and prime minister in May 1979.