Shirley Williams

Who is Shirley Williams?

Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, PC, née Catlin, is a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, she was one of the "Gang of Four" rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party in 1981. Between 2001 and 2004, she served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords and, from 2007 to 2010, as Adviser on Nuclear Proliferation to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Currently, she serves as an active lawmaker in the House of Lords and as Professor Emerita of Electoral Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, among numerous other activities.