| abstract | - Muriel Bowen (16 January 1926 - 23 August 2000) was an Irish-born journalist, horsewoman and Conservative Party politician. Born at Clonea Castle, Dungarvan in County Waterford, she was the daughter of the Waterford County Surveyor. Her family were involved in the breeding and racing of horses, an interest she pursued for the extent of her life. She was educated at a boarding school in Dublin and Trinity College Dublin. She took a job at the age of nineteen as a reporter for the Irish Independent newspaper. She subsequently wrote society articles for the monthly Irish Tatler. She was involved in politics as a member of Fine Gael, one of the two main parties in Ireland, and was a member of the party's Finance and General Purposes Committee. In 1952 she moved to London where she wrote a column for the Daily Express. In 1955 she moved to the Evening Standard where she wrote reviews and a diary. She joined the Conservative Party, and stood as the party's candidate at West Ham North at the 1955 general election. It was a safe Labour Party seat and she was defeated by a margin of 16,000 votes. She moved to the United States in 1956, securing a job with the Washington Post. She returned to the UK in 1959, but continued to file stories for the Post. In 1961 she was elected to the London County Council as a representative for Battersea South. She was a member of the council's town planning and historic monuments committees. She remained a member of the county council until its abolition in 1965. In 1967 she began writing for the Sunday Times. She also wrote articles for Tatler. Bowen was an experienced horse rider, winning eight all-England titles in the 1980s and was champion at the Royal Show in 1979 and 1980. She never married, and died in Dorking, Surrey, from a blood disorder, aged 74.
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