Irene Calvert

Lillian Eileen Mercer Calvert (10 February 1909 – 19 May 2000), known as Irene Calvert, was a Northern Irish politician and economist who served as a Member of Parliament for Queen's University Belfast.

Early life and education Born in Belfast, as Lilian Irene Mercer Earls, she studied at Methodist College Belfast but for health reasons did not take examinations. Leaving school at the age of 18, she worked for some years in various stores, before going to Queen's University Belfast from 1933 to 1936 to study economics and philosophy.

In 1944, Calvert, who had developed an interest in politics after her welfare work,

In 1950, Calvert began working at the Ulster Weaving Company as an economist, and having successfully helped build up their institutional sales was appointed a managing director. In 1956 she was invited to become a group chairman at the Duke of Edinburgh's Study Conference on Industry. She also served on the Belfast City Chamber of Commerce, becoming its first (and indeed only) woman president in 1965 and 1966. She also served on Queen's University's Senate and Board of Curators, and was active in The Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations. Calvert died at the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, on 19 May 2000.