Margaret Thatcher

Political Figure

Name at birth: Margaret Hilda Roberts

Margaret Thatcher was the United Kingdom's first woman prime minister, and she held the office of PM for longer than anyone in the 20th century. Elected in 1979, Thatcher shored up a Conservative-led government, favored privatization plans, led the country through the Falklands War with Argentina, and did it all with a stern no-nonsense flair that earned her the nickname "The Iron Lady." Although Thatcher was elected to three consecutive terms, widespread discontent and political disputes within her party forced her to resign in 1990. She was succeeded by John Major.

Extra credit: In 1992, Thatcher entered the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven... She has often been compared with her conservative American counterpart, Ronald Reagan... Thatcher's husband, Denis, died in 2003... The couple's twin children, Carol and Mark, were born in 1953... Mark Thatcher was arrested in August of 2004 on suspicion that he was involved in a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

Other British prime ministers include Robert Peel, Winston Churchill and Tony Blair.

Blog posts mentioning Margaret Thatcher:
Kennedy and Sirhan Fidel vs. Flintstone