Leonard Humphrey Razzall, known as Humphrey Razzall (13 November 1912 – 26 October 1999), was a British Liberal Party politician and solicitor.

Background

He was a son of Horace Razzall a Scarborough teacher and Sarah Thompson. He was educated at Scarborough High School. He married, in 1936, Muriel Knowles. They had two sons. Muriel died in 1968. In 1975 he married Mary Elmore Bland.

Professional career

He was admitted as a solicitor in 1935. He founded the firm Humphrey Razzall & Co. in 1938. He served in the Royal Marines from 1941 to 1946, reaching the rank of Staff Captain. He was an Examiner in the High Court practice and procedure for solicitors final examination. He was the Master of the Supreme Court (Taxing) from 1954 to 1981.

Political career

He was selected as the Liberal Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

for a general election expected to take place in the Autumn of 1939. Although it was a safe Conservative seat, the Liberals had come second in 1935, so it was a promising seat. However, due to the outbreak of war, Razzall never got to fight the seat. He did continue with the duties of prospective candidate, attending meetings while on leave ScarboroughAndWhitbyConstituency1918

By the time

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

called a general election in 1945, Razzall had moved from being Liberal candidate for Finchley to be adopted as Liberal candidate for his home town seat of

Scarborough and Whitby Scarborough and Whitby is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Robert Goodwill, a Conservative. History The constituency name has had two separate periods of existence. ;1918–1974 A Scarborou ...

. This was a better prospect for the Liberals, who had finished a strong second behind the Conservatives in 1935. However, the national swing to the Labour Party, prevented the Liberal Party from gaining the seat; He did not stand for parliament again.

Publications

*A Man of Law’s Tale, (1982) *Law, love and laughter, (1984)

Tim Razzall

One of his sons, Tim Razzall, is a prominent Liberal Democrat and a member of the House of Lords.‘RAZZALL’, Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2013 ; online edn, Dec 201
accessed 14 Jan 2014
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Razzall, Leonard Humphrey 1912 births 1999 deaths Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Razzall family Politicians from Scarborough, North Yorkshire People educated at Scarborough High School for Boys