Reginald William Sorensen, Baron Sorensen (19 June 1891 – 8 October 1971) was a Unitarian minister and Labour Party politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He was a

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) for over thirty years between 1929 and 1964.

Early life

Sorensen was born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, north London, on 19 June 1891. He was his parents' first born child and had two brother and two sisters. Sorensen's father, William James Sorensen (1868–1925), was a silversmith of Danish paternity. Sorensen's mother, Alice Jemima (''d''. 1934), was the daughter of a fisherman from

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

, Sussex. After leaving school at the age of fourteen, Sorensen worked as an errand-boy, in a factory as a manual worker, and later in a shop.

Political career

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 ...

, Sorensen was exempt from military service on the grounds of being religious minister, but declared himself a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

. Between 1921 and 1924, Sorensen served as a member of the Walthamstow urban district council. Sorensen served as the chair of the education committee. In 1924 Sorensen was elected an Essex county councillor. Sorensen remained in this role until 1945. At the 1923 general election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in

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, coming fourth in the two-seat constituency. He stood again in the

1934 Lowestoft by-election The 1934 Lowestoft by-election was an election held for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom's constituency of Lowestoft, it was the first ever by election in the constituency. It was held on Thursday 15 February 1934, polling stations ...

, losing by 1,920 votes to the Conservative candidate,

Pierse Loftus Pierse Creagh Loftus (29 November 1877 – 20 January 1956) was an Irish-born British businessman and Conservative Party politician. A notable figure in the public life of Lowestoft and East Suffolk for several decades, he sat in the House of Co ...

. Sorensen was elected as MP for Leyton West at the 1929 general election, defeating the sitting Conservative MP James Cassels by a majority of 2,153. When Labour split at the 1931 general election, Sir Wilfrid Sugden retook the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of nearly 10,000. Sorenson was also Essex County Councillor for the Leyton Lea Bridge division whilst an MP. At the Labour Party Congress in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

in 1933, Sorensen emerged as a major critic of the harsh means by which the British rulers were striving to maintain their empire in India. 'The operation of Imperialism in India is in essence no different from the operations of Hitlerism,' he told the conference. 'We are appalled by what is happening to the Jews in Germany, but what has been happening in India is just as bad.' Sorensen served as chaired of the Fabian Colonial Bureau and the India League, which supported Indian nationalism. In 1946 Sorensen formed part of a parliamentary deputation to India and he welcomed Indian independence the following year. Sorensen narrowly regained the seat at the 1935 election, and represented the constituency until it was abolished in 1950. At the 1950 general election, he was returned to

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 ...

for the new Leyton constituency. Sorensen was a committed pacifist and in 1936 he joined the Peace Pledge union. However, following the outbreak of

World War II 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 ...

, while expressing disappointment at the failure of the peace movement to prevent war, he urged his fellow pacifists "not to obstruct the war effort". A noted secularist, he became an Appointed Lecturer at the South Place Ethical Society in the 1960s. At the

1964 general election The following elections occurred in 1964. Africa * 1964 Cameroonian parliamentary election * 1964 Central African Republic parliamentary election * 1964 Central African Republic presidential election * 1964 Dahomeyan general election * 1964 Gabo ...

, he was re-elected for a seventh term in the House of Commons. Shortly afterwards, on 15 December 1964, he was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

, as Baron Sorensen, of Leyton in the

County of Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. In 1966 Sorensen proposed the abolition of the House of Lords in favour of a senate of experts in administration. He then served until 1968 as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. Speaking in 1971, Sorensen suggested that the Government should 'positively encourage sterilisation, here and elsewhere, of those who are physically or mentally unfit' in order to stabilise the world's population. He had been offered the peerage to make a vacancy for the

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

Patrick Gordon Walker Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker, (7 April 1907 – 2 December 1980) was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet Minister. He lost his Smethwi ...

,British History Online: Parliamentary Representation in Leyton
/ref> who had been defeated in his Smethwick constituency. However, the by-election in January 1965 was won by the Conservative Ronald Buxton.

Personal life

On 22 January 1916 Sorensen married Muriel (''b''. 1891). Sorensen's father-in-law was the Revd William Harvey-Smith, a Unitarian minister from

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. Sorensen and his wife had three children, a daughter and two sons. One of Sorensen's sons died during the Chinese revolution while working as a missionary. Sorensen died on 8 October 1971 at

Whipps Cross Hospital Whipps Cross University Hospital is a large university hospital in the locality of Whipps Cross in Leytonstone and is within Epping Forest in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, London, England. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust. Histo ...

, Leytonstone. He was cremated several days later at the

City of London cemetery The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a cemetery and crematorium in the east of London. It is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England National Register of Historic Parks and ...

Notes

References

* *

External links

70th Anniversary of Indian Independence - 1946 Parliamentary Delegation to India - UK Parliament Living Heritage
*
Page about Sorensen from Open University's 'Making Britain' projectParliamentary Archives, Papers of Reginald Sorensen, MP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Reginald W 1891 births 1971 deaths British Unitarians English pacifists British secularists Labour Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Labour Party (UK) life peers Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Ordained peers UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of Essex County Council Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970 Life peers created by Elizabeth II