Laurence George Bowman (16 March 1866 – 21 November 1950), was a British Liberal Party politician and headmaster.

Background

He was born in Poland when it was part of Tsarist Russia, and brought to England in 1870.[1] He was educated at the Jews Free School[2] and University College, London[3] where he obtained BA (Hons in Mental and Moral Science), MA (Philosophy, etc.) and BSc; Teachers’ Diploma (University of London). He married, in 1893, Fanny Cohen. She died in 1942. They had one son who was killed in 1917 and one daughter, Ruth.[4]

Educational career

He was Assistant Master at Jews Free School, 1880–98, Vice-Master, 1898–1907 and Headmaster, 1908–30[5] after which he retired.[6] He was Chairman of the Education Committee of the Jewish Religious Education Board. Representative on the Appeal Tribunal of Unemployment Assistance Board. Vice-Chairman of Central School Employment Committee. He was a Member of various educational and political bodies. He was a Lecturer and Speaker on Educational and Political Subjects.[7]

Political career

He was a supporter of free trade, land value taxation,[8] co-partnership in industry with profit sharing.[9] He was a member of the Executive Committee of the London Liberal Federation.[10] He was Liberal candidate for the St Pancras South East Division at the 1935 General Election.[11] The constituency was not a good prospect for the Liberal Party as they came a poor third the last time they stood a candidate in 1929.

St Pancras South East in the County of London, showing boundaries used 1918-1950
General Election 14 November 1935: St Pancras South East[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Alfred Lane Beit 11,976 51.0
Labour Dr Santo Wayburn Jeger 10,340 44.0
Liberal Laurence George Bowman 1,181 5.0
Majority 1,636 7.0
Turnout 23,497 60.4

He was re-adopted by local Liberal Association and continued as prospective parliamentary candidate until the outbreak of war[13] By the time of the next General Election in 1945, he had been replaced as candidate and did not stand for parliament again.[14] He was President of South Hendon Division Liberal Association.[15]

Ruth Abrahams

His daughter, born in 1894 as Ruth Bowman, in 1914 married Sidney Abrahams, who was later knighted.[16] They had two children, Valerie and Anthony.[17]

As Lady Abrahams, she was also politically active in the Liberal Party. She stood for parliament on three occasions; Orpington in 1950, Nottingham East in 1951 and Wembley North in 1955.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Jews in the professions in Great Britain, 1891-1991", iwm.org.uk. Accessed 25 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Home". ukWhosWho.com.
  3. ↑ The Times House of Commons, 1935
  4. ↑ "Home". ukWhosWho.com.
  5. ↑ "Home". ukWhosWho.com.
  6. ↑ The Times House of Commons, 1935
  7. ↑ "Home". ukWhosWho.com.
  8. ↑ Land & Liberty, 1945
  9. ↑ Co-partnership, 1933
  10. ↑ The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History
  11. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
  12. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
  13. ↑ The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  14. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
  15. ↑ "Home". ukWhosWho.com.
  16. ↑ ‘ABRAHAMS, Rt Hon. Sir Sidney Solomon’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 accessed 3 October 2017
  17. ↑ ‘ABRAHAMS, Anthony Claud Walter’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2016 ; online edn, April 2016 accessed 3 October 2017
  18. ↑ The Times House of Commons, 1950-55.
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