Shirley Williams, Co-Founder of the Social Democratic Party and its first President (1982-88), served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords from 2001 until retiring from that position in 2004. She started her career as a journalist and was General Secretary of the Fabian Society until becoming Labour MP for Hitchin in 1964. She served in the Cabinet (1974-79) including as Secretary of State for Education and Science. Shirley lost the seat in 1979 but, after co-founding the Social Democratic Party in 1981, was its first elected MP in the same year. She became Baroness Williams of Crosby in 1993 and was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Foreign Affairs in the Lords (1998-2001). She was on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Council for the Fourth World Women's Conference.