The 'Iron Lady' was the only woman to hold the office in Great Britain.
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who led Great Britain from 1979-90, has died. She was 87.
The Iron Lady, who ruled for 11 remarkable years, imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation — breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street.
Thatcher's spokesman, Tim Bell, said the former prime minister died this morning of a stroke. Flags were flown at half-staff at Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Downing Street for the 87 year old. Queen Elizabeth II authorized Thatcher to have a ceremonial funeral — a step short of a state funeral — to be held at St. Paul's Cathedral in London with military honors.
She retired from public activities in 2002 after a series of strokes and was seldom seen in public after that. Thatcher was the United Kingdom's longest serving prime minister in the 20th century. She remains the only woman to serve as Britain's prime minister.In the Valley
She spoke at Kutztown University in 1995. John Major followed Thatcher at 10 Downing St., and Tony Blair succeeded Major. Blair is scheduled to speak this afternoon at Lafayette College.
“Margaret Thatcher was a towering political figure," Blair said this morning on his official website. "Very few leaders get to change not only the political landscape of their country but of the world. Margaret was such a leader. Her global impact was vast. And some of the changes she made in Britain were, in certain respects at least, retained by the 1997 Labor Government, and came to be implemented by governments around the world.
“As a person she was kind and generous spirited and was always immensely supportive to me as Prime Minister although we came from opposite sides of politics.
“Even if you disagreed with her as I did on certain issues and occasionally strongly, you could not disrespect her character or her contribution to Britain’s national life. She will be sadly missed.”
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey had high regard for Thatcher.
“Lady Thatcher was a towering figure and a hero of mine," Toomey, R-Pa., said in a statement. "She – with President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II – was instrumental in bringing down the Soviet Union, changing the face of Eastern Europe and bringing freedom to millions.
"A shopkeeper’s daughter, she reshaped her county’s politics and its economy with her conservative convictions. She championed free markets, labor union reform and sensible tax and spending measures. She updated her government and rejuvenated the nation's foreign policy with her ideas and the force of her personality.
"Margaret Thatcher was a trailblazer who never thought there would be a woman prime minister in her life time. She shattered that glass ceiling herself.”