Dame Adelaide Doughty CBE DBE
Dame Adelaide Doughty CBE DBE

Dame Adelaide (Shackell ’24) was the Chairman of the British Conservative Party Conference in 1978 and worked to make Sir Edward Heath Prime Minister.

‘Addie’, as she was known to everyone, went to the University of Melbourne and then travelled to Oxford to read Modern Greats (now PPE – Philosophy, Politics and Economics).

In 1931 she married Charles Doughty QC, later to become a Conservative MP and began a range of community work, including serving on the board of the English-Speaking Union for 14 years.

She was also a member of the Conservative Party’s Women’s Advisory Committee and became its Chairman from 1963 to 1966. She was also Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Party in 1967.

She was appointed a Commander (CBE) in 1964 and a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1971.

Dame Adelaide was also a governor of the Skinners’ Company’s School for Girls in 1951, the Director of the National Institute for Housecraft from 1966 and a member of the Grand Council of the Cancer Research Campaign from 1974.

She died at home in London on August 12 1986, aged 79. She was survived by her son and daughter.