Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

Thomas Keens (1870 – 24 November 1953) was a British

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

later

National Liberal National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism). A seri ...

politician and accountant.

Family and education

Keens was born in

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

the son of Thomas and Emma Keens (née Hailstone). He was educated privately in Luton and went into business in the town. He entered the accountancy profession, performing well in the examinations for the Incorporated Society of Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Secretaries and he was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries in 1897. In 1896 he had married Ella Batchelor of

Great Missenden Great Missenden is an affluent village with approximately 2,000 residents in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover, with direct rail connections to London Mar ...

. They had two sons (one of whom died in 1950) and a daughter. In religion he was a Congregationalist.

Business career

After a short spell in a solicitor's office and then in the office of the

Official Receiver An officer of the Insolvency Service of the United Kingdom, an official receiver (OR) is an officer of the court to which they are attached. The OR is answerable to the courts for carrying out the courts' orders and for fulfilling their duties ...

in Bankruptcy, London Suburban and Southern District, Keens set up his own accountancy business jointly with Mr A H J Shay and went on to hold the position of senior partner in Keens, Shay, Keens and Company, Incorporated Accountants with a headquarters in the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of London. He also had branches in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard and Hitchin. He achieved some standing in his profession and was elected in 1926 to be President of the

Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors The Society of Incorporated Accountants, founded in 1885 as the Society of Accountants, was a professional association of accountants in England. It was known from 1908 to 1954 as the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors, and from 1954 t ...

, a position he held until 1929.

Politics

Keens was first active in local politics, being elected a councillor for the Luton North Ward of

Bedfordshire County Council Bedfordshire County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Bedfordshire in England. It was established on 24 January 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009. The county council was based in Bedford. In 1997 Luton Borough ...

in 1901. He held that seat until 1910. In 1919 he was made an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

and he remained a member of the Council until 1952, serving as Chairman of the Finance Committee and from 1935-52 as Chairman of the County Council. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of Bedfordshire and for a time was Chairman of the Lee Catchment (later Conservancy) Board, responsible for the waters of the River Lea. He also served as a Justice of the Peace. He became 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 ...

in the New Year Honours List of 1934 for political and public services. Lady Keens was a strong supporter of her husband and in 1944 she became the first woman

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Luton.

Parliamentary politics

Keens first stood for election to Parliament at Aylesbury at the 1922 general election. In

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

he stood again, this time winning, despite the intervention of a Labour candidate but in the following year's election he was beaten again. He tried to get back at Aylesbury at the 1929 general election again without success. During the crisis of 1931 which resulted in the formation of the National Government under Ramsay MacDonald, Keens favoured the Liberal Party's support of the coalition and sought election as National Liberal for Pontypool in the 1931 United Kingdom general election, but was unable to beat the sitting

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

MP, Thomas Griffiths. He never stood for Parliament again but chose to support publicly the

National Conservative National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity. National conservatives usually combine nationalism with conservative stances promoting traditional cultural values, f ...

candidate Michael Beaumont at Aylesbury during the 1935 general election. Apparently Keens was disillusioned with the way the National Government and its Liberal National supporters under

Sir John Simon John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon, (28 February 1873 – 11 January 1954), was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second World War. He is one of only three peop ...

was turning away from the traditional Liberal policy of Free Trade but he nevertheless preferred to give the Liberal Nationals general support and as the Liberal Party declined he turned in favour of Liberal-Conservative union, being a supporter of Dr Charles Hill and was for a while the leader of the Luton National Liberals.Charles Hill, ''Both Sides of the Hill''; Heinemann, 1964 pp12 & 14 He died at his home, Highfield in Luton aged 83 years.

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