Sir Joseph Leopold Schultz,

OBE 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 ...

(4 February 1900 – 21 July 1991) was a British politician who was a dominant figure in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

during the twentieth century. He was an active councillor for many years, and was leader of the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

from 1945 to 1979.

Biography

Leo Schultz was born in 1900, the son of a Polish immigrant, Solomon Schultz, and his wife (née Hiller). At the age of 15 he came first in regional exams for a scholarship for

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, but was told that the university was not a suitable choice for someone of his working-class background and Jewish religion. He later became a socialist and used his skills in the realm of

public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

, his political career began in 1926 as a

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 ...

councillor for the Myton ward of Hull. In 1919 he met, and in 1928 married Kate (Kitty) Pickersgill. Before 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 opposin ...

, Leo Schultz campaigned for Hull City Council to build bomb shelters. He was successful and the shelters helped save many lives. During the war, he was decorated for his work as an

Air Raid Warden Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...

, and also served as Lord Mayor from 1942–3. From 1945 to 1979 Schultz was leader of Hull City Council. His role in Kingston upon Hull's public life led him to receiving the moniker "Lion of Hull", or "Mr. Hull". He received an

in 1946, in part for his work during the war, and was knighted in 1966 for services to local government, he received an honorary doctorate of Law from Hull University in 1979. Kitty Schultz died in 1975, Leo Schultz died in 1991 aged 91.

Tarran scandal

After being Lord Mayor, Schultz was implicated in the

Robert Greenwood Tarran Robert Greenwood Tarran (25 April 1892 20 September 1955) was a British civil engineering contractor and managing director of Tarran Industries, Ltd. – undated clipping shown during 'How We Won the war' He was an elected member of Hull City C ...

corruption scandal in Hull Council.

Legacy

The Schultz had a single son Lionel, They also adopted Robert Rosner, a Jewish-Austrian child who left continental Europe on the kindertransport, who became an architect in adult life. The Sir Leo Schultz High School was established in the Orchard Park Estate, Hull. Artist

Nigel Boonham Nigel ( ) is an English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walter Scott published ...

was commissioned to produce a full-size statue of Sir Leo Schultz, unveiled at Hull's Guildhall in 2011.

Biography

Tarran scandal

Legacy

References

Further reading