Edward Albert Lessing OBE (28 July 1890 – 25 August 1964) was a British corn trader,

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician and an early authority on Soviet Russia.

Background

He was born in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

the son of Albert and Augusta Lessing. He was educated at Marlborough and

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

. In 1918 he was awarded the OBE.

Professional career

Lessing qualified as a Barrister, having received a

Call to Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

, by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. He was Chairman of Strauss & Company Limited, grain merchants. 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. He was on the governing body of

Abingdon School Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...

from 1923 to 1924.

Military service

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

of 1914–1918, he served in Europe as a captain in the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

. He was a Member of the Military Mission to Russia. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

of 1939–1945 he served as a lieutenant in the Paymaster

Royal Army Pay Corps The Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) was the corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992. History The first "paymasters" have existed in the army before t ...

from 1939 to 1942, and as a captain in the Pioneer Corps from 1942 to 1945.

Political service

In 1922, he stood as the Liberal candidate in the Unionist-held constituency of Abingdon, in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. 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. The Unionist was unopposed at the 1918 general election and at the

1921 Abingdon by-election The 1921 Abingdon by-election was held on 14 May 1921. The by-election was held due to the resignation of the incumbent Coalition Conservative MP, John Tyson Wigan. It was won by the unopposed Coalition Conservative candidate Arthur Loyd Art ...

. It therefore came as a bit of a surprise when Lessing lost by only 540 votes to the sitting

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP)

Arthur Loyd Arthur Thomas Loyd (19 April 1882 – 8 November 1944) was a Conservative Party politician in England. Early life Born in Northampton, Loyd belonged to a Welsh family, several members of which settled in Berkshire. His uncle, Archie Kirkman L ...

; At the 1923 general election he won, with a majority of 254 votes over

Ralph Glyn Major Ralph George Campbell Glyn, 1st Baron Glyn, Bt, MC, DL (3 March 1884 – 1 May 1960), known as Sir Ralph Glyn, 1st Baronet, from 1934 to 1953, was a soldier and Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Pa ...

, Lloyd's successor as Unionist candidate. 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.The Downfall of the Liberal Party by Trevor Wilson Lessing served as

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; He lost again at the 1929 election; He did not stand for

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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 Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

aged 73.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lessing, Edward 1890 births 1964 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1923–1924 Governors of Abingdon School British Army personnel of World War I Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Pay Corps officers Royal Pioneer Corps officers