Helen Argenti ( Alexandra Helen Schilizzi; 28 April 1904 – 23 March 1988) was a British lecturer and Liberal Party politician. She was made a Grand Officer of the Holy Sepulchre, an Officer Order of Evpomas, and awarded the Greek Commemorative Naval Medal.‘ARGENTI, Philip Pandely’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 accessed 1 Sept 2016
Background Argenti was born the third daughter of Stephen John Schilizzi and Julia Lucas Schilizzi (née Ralli) of Loddington Hall, Kettering. She was a niece of the Greek Prime Minister, Eleftherios Venizelos, who married her aunt, philanthropist Helena Schilizzi.Women at Westminster: An Account of Women in the British - 1967 She had a Greek Orthodox upbringing. The family moved to Guilsborough Court, Northampton.HELEN SCHILIZZI, Guilsborough Court, Northampton. "Economics For The People." Times [London, England] 1 Sept. 1925: 13. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Her father was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1915. In 1930 she married Philip Pandely Argenti. They had a son, Pandely Paul Laurence Stephen ArgentiThe Liberal Magazine - Volumes 52-53 - Page 78 - 1944 and two daughters.‘ARGENTI, Philip Pandely’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 accessed 1 Sept 2016
Career Argenti played a role in support of the Allies in World War I. She organised help for the Venizelist troops, being responsible for a fund that supplied the troops with basic clothing.The Sketch - Volume 97 - Page 6 - 1917
After the war she became actively involved in the League of Nations Union that would see her traveling to various parts of the world. For three years she was a lecturer for the League of Nations Union.The Times House of Commons, 1929 She traveled extensively in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. She also visited the United States and crossed Canada from coast to coast."Women Who Aspire to Sit in Parliament." Illustrated London News [London, England] 4 May 1929: 752. Illustrated London News. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. She worked for the Belgian Section of the Federation of Associations of the League of Nations. She obtained the backing of the International Federation of University Women in organising meetings in Sofia, Bulgaria.Report of the Council Meeting - International Federation of University Women - 1927 In Sofia she delivered lectures and met with top officials and Ministers.Aspasia 2007, Volume 1 by Francisca de Haan, Maria Bucur
When not traveling she returned to the family home at Guilsborough Court, Northampton. She was also active in the local community, serving as Honorary Secretary of the Northamptonshire branch of the League of Nations Union.Northampton Mercury 4 Sep 1925 Through her support of the League of Nations she was drawn into the Liberal Party. At the age of just 24 she was adopted as prospective Liberal candidate for Northampton in September 1928.Northampton Mercury 14 Sep 1928 She attended the Annual Meeting of the National Liberal Federation in 1928 and spoke in the debate on armaments. She opposed a proposal for an "immediate and substantial reduction in armaments" arguing that this would have a drastic effect on employment. She preferred a gradual reduction in arms.Proceedings in Connection with the Annual Meeting of the National Liberal Federation - 1928 Nine months after being chosen as Northampton's Liberal candidate, voters went to the polls in the 1929 General Election. Although Northampton had last returned a Liberal as recently as 1922, in a by-election early in 1928, the Liberal candidate had finished third in a contest closely fought between Unionist and Labour. That made Argenti's campaign a tough one, despite the fact that the vote was being given to women under 30 for the first time. She came third, polling just over a fifth of the vote.
She did not stand for parliament again.British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1992, FWS Craig However, now married, Helen Argenti remained active within the Liberal Party, most notably in the Women's Liberal Federation. In 1939 she supported the peace efforts of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain out of a sense of national unity. This encouraged her to write to Liberal Party leader Sir Archibald Sinclair, whom she criticised for giving vocal support to Chamberlain's critic Sir Anthony Eden.Liberal Crusader: The Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair - Page 133
She was buried on 28 March 1988, at the Greek Orthodox Cemetery, in West Norwood.
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