Sir Edwin Hartley Cameron Leather (22 May 1919 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born British

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 ...

politician. He served as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the British colony of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

from 1973 to 1977.

Education

Leather was born in

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He graduated from the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

, in 1937. He was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Laws) from the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

in 1976.

Career

During the Second World War, Captain Leather served with the

1st Canadian Parachute Battalion The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Canadian Army formed in July 1942 during the Second World War; it served in North West Europe, Landing in Normandy during Operation Tonga, in conjunction with the D-D ...

, Canadian Army in England and Europe. He was badly injured in a practice jump when his parachute failed to open. He rejoined his Battalion for D-Day. He served in Europe during World War II with the Toronto Scottish and Royal Canadian Artillery.http://www.freemenlondon.org/newsletters/2005-03-CompanyComment.pdf Edwin Leather Obituary He wrote a manual for the Home Guard called "Combat without Weapons". He worked as an insurance broker in England and was secretary of the Central London branch of the Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians. At the

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgarian ...

Leather stood without success in the

Bristol South Bristol South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Karin Smyth of the Labour Party. Constituency profile Bristol South is a traditional white working class seat. Residents' wealth is around a ...

constituency, but at the 1950 general election he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for

North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the ...

. He was a backbencher throughout the period of Conservative governments from 1951–1964. He supported the Unions, and held office in the

Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians The Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians (ASSET), was a British trade union, chiefly representing supervisors in the metal working and transport industries. It was formed from the National Foremen's Association, foun ...

and supported the miners. Leather never held political office but was a popular speaker at Party Conference and other events, as well as on radio and television. He was a One Nation Tory; he forcefully opposed racism and supported the European Union. Leather was proposed for a knighthood but, still a Canadian citizen, required the support of the Canadian government which had not made any honour recommendation for some years; Prime Minister

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electi ...

declined to support the recommendation. He was eventually knighted in 1962 when he was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

, having taken British citizenship. He quit Westminster in 1964 because of illness. Poor health and the low pay for MPs forced Leather to retire from Parliament at the 1964 general election and enter business. He returned to the political scene a few years later, as vice-chairman of the

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...

, taking a leading role in fund raising and at Party Conference. In 1973, following the murder of Sir

Richard Sharples Sir Richard Christopher Sharples, (6 August 1916 – 10 March 1973) was a British politician and Governor of Bermuda who was shot dead by assassins linked to a small militant Bermudian Black Power group called the Black Beret Cadre. The form ...

, Leather was appointed Governor of

. Despite the assassination of his predecessor and an aide, he lived informally and mixed with locals; he continued to live in Bermuda after his retirement in 1977. He came to the attention of the Commissioner of the Bermuda Police Force after riding his bicycle recklessly. He became the local representative of

N M Rothschild & Sons Rothschild & Co is a multinational investment bank and financial services company, and the flagship of the Rothschild banking group controlled by the French and British branches of the Rothschild family. The banking business of the firm covers th ...

and wrote several thrillers. As Governor, his nickname was "Imperial Leather", a pun on his surname, position and the famous brand of soap. He was appointed in 1974 and in 1975 became the first Canadian to be appointed KCVO since the future 1st Lord Shaughnessy in 1907. Leather was an active freemason and an Anglican

lay reader In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a bishop to lead certain services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral and teaching ...

. During his time as Governor of Bermuda, Sir Edwin made a significant effort to include a number of influential Bermudians as part of the vice-regal household. Among them were Rev. Thomas N. Nisbett, Bermuda's first Black

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

priest (later Canon Thomas Nisbett), and Major Clinton Eugene Raynor, promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the

Bermuda Regiment The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR), formerly the Bermuda Regiment, is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is a single territorial infantry battalion that was formed on the amalgamation in 1965 of two originally ...

(since 2015 the Royal Bermuda Regiment), the local-service regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

organised on territorial lines, from 1980 to 1984 (Lieutenant-Colonel Clinton Eugene Raynor, OBE, ED, JP, was later Honorary Colonel of the Royal Bermuda Regiment). He was an accomplished gymnast and founded the International Sports Fellowship. Leather was a freemason.

Family

Edwin Leather's parents were Harold and Grace Leather. Leather married Sheila Greenlees in 1940; they had two daughters. Leather's home was Park House, Batheaston.Edwin Leather fonds http://library.mcmaster.ca/archives/findaids/findaids/l/leathere.03.htm During the First World War Harold Leather served in East Africa with the Army Service Corps, finishing the war as a lieutenant. Upon his return to Canada he established Leather Cartage in Hamilton Ontario. During the Second World War, Harold Leather was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(1943) for his work in coordinating the

Red Cross parcel Red Cross parcel refers to packages containing mostly food, tobacco and personal hygiene items sent by the International Association of the Red Cross to prisoners of war during the First and Second World Wars, as well as at other times. It ...

scheme in Canada. He would go on to become Chairman of the Canadian Red Cross Society. He died in Hamilton, Ontario.

Publications

*Sir Edwin Leather monograph, 'Memorandum on a Choice of Countries', 1943. *Sir Edwin Leather 'Human Nature and the Profit Motive', ts. draft for book begun 12 April 1943. The novel features the character, Rupert Conway, of Leather's previous three novels. *Sir Edwin Leather 'Combat without Weapons', handbook, Aldershot:

Gale & Polden Gale and Polden was a British printer and publisher. Founded in Brompton, near Chatham, Kent in 1868, the business subsequently moved to Aldershot, where they were based until closure in November 1981 after the company had been bought by media m ...

, 1942 *''The Vienna Elephant'' (Dodd, Mead 1977, Macmillan 1978, Pinnacle p/b 1981) *''The Mozart Score'' (Doubleday 1979, Macmillan 1979) *''The Duveen Letter'' (Doubleday 1980, Macmillan 1980)

References

Books

* Preston, Adrian & Dennis, Peter (eds.) (1976) ''Swords and Covenants''. Totowa: Rowman and Littlefield (#4237) * Preston, Richard Arthur (1969) ''To Serve Canada: a History of the Royal Military College of Canada''. Toronto:

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university cale ...

(#H16511) ** Preston, Richard Arthur (1982) ''Canada's RMC: a History of Royal Military College''; 2nd ed. (#H16511) * Preston, Richard Arthur (1968) ''R.M.C. and Kingston: the effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community''. Kingston, Ontario (#H16511) * Smith, R. Guy C. (ed.) (1984) ''As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember''. 2 vols. Volume I: 1876–1918. Volume II: 1919–1984. Kingston, Ont.: RMC; The R.M.C. Club of Canada (#H1877)

External links

Sir Edwin Leather – Obituaries, News – The Independent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leather, Edwin 1919 births 2005 deaths Politicians from Toronto Royal Military College of Canada alumni Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Canadian Anglicans Canadian knights Canadian Knights Bachelor Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 Governors of Bermuda Canadian Army personnel of World War II Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom Military personnel from Toronto Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England N M Rothschild & Sons people Anglican lay readers Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion