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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. 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 o ...

(MP) for over thirty years between 1929 and 1964.

Early life

Sorensen was born in Islington,

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, 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 A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

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 Ho ...

, 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. 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

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, coming fourth in the two-seat constituency. He stood again in the 1934 Lowestoft by-election, losing by 1,920 votes to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

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 Council Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...

lor 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: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

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 opposing ...

, 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 The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United Kin ...

in the 1960s. At the 1964 general election, he was re-elected for a seventh term in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. Shortly afterwards, on 15 December 1964, he was created a life peer, as Baron Sorensen, of

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

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 in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. 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, Patrick Gordon Walker,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 Counties of England, 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-we ...

. 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 Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

. 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

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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