Barnett Janner, Baron Janner (20 June 1892 – 4 May 1982) was a British politician who was elected as a

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(MP) and later as a Labour MP.

Early life

Janner was born to a Litvak family in

Luokė Luokė ( Samogitian: ''Loukė'', pl, Łukniki) is a town in Telšiai County, Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It ...

in the

Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate ( rus, Ковенская губеpния, r=Kovenskaya guberniya; lt, Kauno gubernija) or Governorate of Kaunas was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was forme ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, in what is now Lithuania. He was the son of Joseph and Gertrude Janner. At the age of nine months, his family, who were

Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

s, moved to Barry, Glamorgan,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, where his father opened a furniture shop. Janner was educated at the local school before obtaining a scholarship to attend the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire at

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. He was president of the students' union and edited the college magazine. He graduated with a BA in English and mathematics in 1914, before serving in the

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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 ...

. Having studied law before the war, he was admitted as solicitor in 1919 and established a legal practice in Cardiff.

Liberal politics

Janner entered politics in 1920 when he stood unsuccessfully for election to Cardiff City Council as a candidate of the

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. Three years later he had joined the

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, but again failed to gain a seat on the council. In 1926 he was elected to the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and subsequently became a member of the executive of the British Zionist Federation. At the 1929 general election he was the Liberal candidate for Cardiff Central, but failed to be elected. Later in the year he moved to Hendon, north London, and took up employment as company secretary and solicitor for his father-in-law's business. In 1930,

Harry Gosling Harry Gosling CH (9 June 1861 – 24 October 1930) was a British Labour Party politician and trade union leader. Early life Gosling was born in 1861 at 57 York Street, Lambeth, London, on the southern bank of the River Thames. He was the seco ...

, the sitting Labour MP for the Whitechapel and St George's constituency in the East End of London died. Janner was chosen to contest the resulting by-election. The area had a large Jewish population, and he campaigned in opposition to the government's policy on Palestine, but was narrowly defeated. Ten months later at the 1931 general election Janner again contested the Whitechapel seat for the Liberals, this time being returned to the House of Commons. At the next general election in 1935 Janner stood as a Liberal and Anti-Fascist candidate, but was one of many Liberals to lose their seats, with the Labour Party regaining the seat.

Labour politics

Within a year of losing his seat as a Liberal, Janner had joined the Labour Party, and was quickly chosen as prospective candidate for Leicester West, which was held by National Labour with a small majority. In the event there was no election for ten years because of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. Janner 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 ...

ten years later, when he was elected 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 ...

as Labour MP for Leicester West, defeating Harold Nicolson the incumbent National Labour MP. When that constituency was abolished for the 1950 election, he was re-elected for the new Leicester North West constituency. He held that seat until he retired from the Commons at the 1970 general election, when his seat was held for Labour by his son Greville. Knighted in 1961, Janner was created a life peer on 20 June 1970 and took the title Baron Janner, of the City of Leicester.

Jewish community

Janner held many positions in the

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish community, including President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, 1955–64.

Personal life

In 1927, Janner married Elsie Sybil Cohen, daughter of the owner of a furniture store. Their son Greville Janner, later Baron Janner of Braunstone, succeeded his father as the Labour MP for Leicester North-West in 1970.

References

Bibliography

*Elsie Janner, ''Barnett Janner: A Personal Portrait''. London: Robson Books, 1984 * * * ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Janner, Barnett 1892 births 1982 deaths Alumni of Cardiff University British Army personnel of World War I British Ashkenazi Jews British people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Burials at Willesden Jewish Cemetery Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom English solicitors

Barnett Janner Barnett Janner, Baron Janner (20 June 1892 – 4 May 1982) was a British politician who was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and later as a Labour MP. Early life Janner was born to a Litvak family in Luokė in the Kovno Gove ...

Jewish British politicians Knights Bachelor Labour Party (UK) life peers Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Life peers created by Elizabeth II Lithuanian Jews People from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan People from Shavelsky Uyezd People from Telšiai District Municipality Presidents of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Royal Artillery soldiers UK MPs 1931–1935 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 1966–1970 UK MPs who were granted peerages