Henry Wilson Harris (21 September 1883 – 11 January 1955) was editor of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' from 1932 to 1953, and independent MP for Cambridge University from 1945 to 1950. He was in the last group of University MPs; the seats were abolished by the

Representation of the People Act 1948 The Representation of the People Act 1948 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered the law relating to parliamentary and local elections. It is noteworthy for abolishing plural voting for parliamentary elections, includin ...

, taking effect in 1950. Wilson Harris was educated at

Plymouth College Plymouth College is a co-educational independent school in Plymouth, Devon. History The school was established in 1877. In 1896 Plymouth College bought Mannamead School (founded in 1854), and was temporarily known as Plymouth and Mannamead Co ...

and

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

; he was elected president of the

Cambridge Union The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debatin ...

in 1905. As an educationist, he appeared in and narrated ''Children at School'' (1937), a

Basil Wright Basil Wright (12 June 1907, Sutton, Surrey – 14 October 1987, Frieth, Buckinghamshire, England) was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher. Biography After leaving Sherborne School, a well known independent schoo ...

documentary, with an uncredited script by journalist

Tom Driberg Thomas Edward Neil Driberg, Baron Bradwell (22 May 1905 – 12 August 1976) was a British journalist, politician, High Anglican churchman and possible Soviet spy, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1942 to 1955, and again from 195 ...

, later a member of parliament.Jon Hoare "Children at School", in ''Land of Promise'', 2008, BFI DVD boxset book, p16 Before joining ''The Spectator'' Harris was active in the

League of Nations Union The League of Nations Union (LNU) was an organization formed in October 1918 in Great Britain to promote international justice, collective security and a permanent peace between nations based upon the ideals of the League of Nations. The League of ...

in the UK, writing several pamphlets and books and editing the Union's journal ''Headway''. Some of his articles for the ''Spectator'' were collected in a 1943 volume, ''99 Gower Street'', the address of the magazine's editorial offices.

Notes

References

*Hudson, Derek ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Wilson 1883 births 1955 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge British magazine editors Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the University of Cambridge UK MPs 1945–1950 People educated at Plymouth College The Spectator editors Independent members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom 20th-century English non-fiction writers Presidents of the Cambridge Union