Edward Albert Lessing OBE (28 July 1890 – 25 August 1964) was a British corn trader, Liberal Party politician and an early authority on Soviet Russia.[1]

Background

He was born in Mayfair, London the son of Albert and Augusta Lessing. He was educated at Marlborough and University College, Oxford. In 1918 he was awarded the OBE.[2]

Professional career

Lessing qualified as a Barrister, having received a Call to Bar, by the Inner Temple.[3] He was Chairman of Strauss & Company Limited, grain merchants.[4] From 1945 to 1947 he worked as an Interpreter IO, Civil Servant. He was a Director of the Baltic and Mercantile Exchange. He was Vice-Chairman of the National Federation of Corn Trade Associations. He was Chairman of Alexandria Trading Corporation Limited. From 1960 until his death he was a Director of Contemporary Review.[5] He was on the governing body of Abingdon School from 1923 to 1924.[6]

Military service

During the First World War of 1914–1918, he served in Europe as a captain in the Grenadier Guards. He was a Member of the Military Mission to Russia. During the Second World War of 1939–1945 he served as a lieutenant in the Paymaster Royal Army Pay Corps from 1939 to 1942, and as a captain in the Pioneer Corps from 1942 to 1945.[7]

Political service

In 1922, he stood as the Liberal candidate in the Unionist-held constituency of Abingdon, in Buckinghamshire. Here Unionist Party candidates had been returned at every election since 1910. The last Liberal candidate to win here was Edward Strauss who was Lessing's uncle.[8] The Unionist was unopposed at the 1918 general election and at the 1921 Abingdon by-election. It therefore came as a bit of a surprise when Lessing lost by only 540 votes to the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Arthur Loyd;

General election 1922[9] Electorate 26,541
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Arthur Thomas Loyd 10,507 51.3 n/a
Liberal Edward Albert Lessing 9,967 48.7 n/a
Majority 540 2.6 n/a
Turnout 77.1 n/a
Unionist hold Swing n/a

At the 1923 general election he won, with a majority of 254 votes over Ralph Glyn, Lloyd's successor as Unionist candidate.

General election 1923[10] Electorate 27,183
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Albert Lessing 10,932 50.6 +1.9
Unionist Ralph George Campbell Glyn 10,678 49.4 -1.9
Majority 254 1.2 -1.4
Turnout 79.5 +2.4
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing

In parliament, the Liberal Party relied on Lessing's expertise on Soviet Russia. In August 1924, when the Labour government tried to push through parliament a proposed loan to the Soviet Union, Lessing led Liberal party objections and the proposal was defeated. Lessing issued a pamphlet severely criticising the treaty.[11] Lessing served as Member of Parliament for less than a year, before another General election was called. This time, for the first time in Abingdon's history, a Labour candidate stood. This was a factor in Lessing losing his seat to Glyn at the 1924 general election;

General election 1924[12] Electorate 28,082
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Ralph George Campbell Glyn 13,117 56.4 +7.0
Liberal Edward Albert Lessing 8,805 37.8 -12.8
Labour D F Brundril 1,355 5.8 n/a
Majority 4,312 18.6 19.8
Turnout 82.9 +3.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +9.9

He lost again at the 1929 election;

General election 1929[13] Electorate 36,758
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Ralph George Campbell Glyn 14,094 47.4 -9.0
Liberal Edward Albert Lessing 11,896 40.1 +2.3
Labour A E Edgeworth Reade 3,712 12.5 +6.7
Majority 2,198 7.3 -11.3
Turnout 80.8 -2.1
Unionist hold Swing -5.7

He did not stand for Parliament again.

Publications

  • Soviet Treaties: An Examination of the General Treaty and the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation. Signed on 8 August 1924

He died in Kensington aged 73.

References

  1. ↑ The Downfall of the Liberal Party by Trevor Wilson
  2. ↑ ‘LESSING, Edward Albert’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 6 Feb 2014
  3. ↑ ‘LESSING, Edward Albert’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 6 Feb 2014
  4. ↑ The Times House of Commons 1929
  5. ↑ ‘LESSING, Edward Albert’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 6 Feb 2014
  6. ↑ "School Notes" (PDF). The Abingdonian.
  7. ↑ ‘LESSING, Edward Albert’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 6 Feb 2014
  8. ↑ The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History
  9. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  10. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  11. ↑ The Downfall of the Liberal Party by Trevor Wilson
  12. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  13. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918–1949, Craig, F.W.S.
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