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 ברוך אהרון בן יהושע (Baruch Aharon ben Yehoshua) to a Litvak family in

Luokė Luokė (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Loukė'') is a town in Telšiai County, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 629 people. The Church of All Saints, Luokė, Church of All Saints is located in the town. Luo ...

in the

Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Govern ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, in what is now

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. He was the son of Joseph and Gertrude Janner. At the age of nine months, his family, who were

Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tran ...

s, moved to Barry,

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, 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 (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. 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

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Having studied law before the war, he was admitted as

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

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 Cardiff City Council was the local government district authority that administered the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, from 1974 until 1996. The district council replaced the Cardiff County Borough Council, pre-1974 county borough council. ...

as a candidate of the Comrades of the Great War. Three years later he had joined the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, but again failed to gain a seat on the council. In 1926 he was elected to the

Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established in 17 ...

, 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 Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

, 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 sec ...

, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Janner returned to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

ten years later, when he was elected at the 1945 general election as Labour MP for Leicester West, defeating

Harold Nicolson Sir Harold George Nicolson (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West. Early life and education Nicolson was born in Tehran, Persia, the youngest son of dipl ...

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 A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1961, Janner was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

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 (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish community, including President of the

, 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 has been published annually in the form of a hardback book since 1849, and has been published online since 1999. It has also been published on CD-ROM. It lists, and gives information on, people from around ...

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 British Zionists 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 Party (UK), Liberal Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) and later as a Labour Party (UK), Labour MP ...

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