Dorothy Pickles

Dorothy Maud Pickles (née Salmon; 8 August 1903 – 26 November 1994) was a British university teacher, historian, and broadcaster.

Early life and education Dorothy Maud Salmon was born in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire on 8 August 1903; the eldest child of a hatmaker and physical education teacher. A scholarship enabled her to enter University of Leeds from where she received a first-class Bachelor of Arts degree in French (1925). After obtaining another scholarship, Salmon went to the Sorbonne to pursue her master's degree (1925–27).

Career After finishing college, Salmon was appointed a teacher at Portsmouth College but could not continue for long. When her husband William Pickles was appointed a lecturer at the London School of Economics (LSE), they shifted to the city. Here Dorothy enrolled for a B.Sc. in Political Science from LSE. During World War II, she published pamphlets with her husband and was appointed in the French division of Ministry of Information, which handled information to and from the French Resistance.

Pickles was involved in British politics as well, and contested the 1950 general election as the Labour candidate for Finchley, but lost to Conservative John Crowder by 12,579 votes.

The Pickles maintained close connections with leaders of the Socialist International and acted as translators during some of its meetings. She, for the year 1960, was a visiting professor at the Columbia University. Pickles authored a dozen books which were translated to Dutch, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, and Hindi languages, while also being a contributor to multiple academic journals.

Death and legacy Pickles has been described as a "noted authority on French politics" and "the doyenne of French studies in Great Britain". She died on 26 November 1994.

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