Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, 1st Baron Pethick-Lawrence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence, 1st Baron Pethick-Lawrence, PC (December 28, 1871 – September 10, 1961) was a British Labour politician.

Born Frederick Lawrence, he was the son of wealthy Unitarians who were members of the Liberal Party. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, becoming a barrister.

Lawrence met and fell in love with Emmeline Pethick, an active socialist and campaigner for women's votes. They finally married after Lawrence converted to socialism and from then on Lawrence took part of his wife's name and was known as 'Pethick-Lawrence'. He published various left-wing newspapers and became involved in the Labour Party.

Pethick-Lawrence's involvement in women's rights and especially Emmeline Pankhurst's window-smashing campaign landed him in prison on a number of occasions. In 1923, he was elected Member of Parliament for Leicester West and was Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1929 until he lost his seat in 1931. He was elected for Edinburgh East in 1935 and in 1942 acted as Leader of the Opposition to the coalition government.

In 1945, Pethick-Lawrence was elevated to the peerage as Baron Pethick-Lawrence. From 1945–47, he was Secretary of State for India and was involved in the negotiations that led to India's independence in 1947. The barony became extinct on his death.

[edit] External link

• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUpethick.htm

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Alfred Hill	Member of Parliament for Leicester West 1923–1931	Succeeded by Ernest Harold Pickering
Preceded by David Marshall Mason	Member of Parliament for Edinburgh East 1935–1945	Succeeded by George Reid Thomson
Political offices
Preceded by Arthur Samuel	Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1929–1931	Succeeded by Walter Elliot
Preceded by Hastings Lees-Smith	Leader of the Opposition 1942	Succeeded by Arthur Greenwood
Preceded by Leopold Stennett Amery	Secretary of State for India and Burma 1945–1947	Succeeded by The Earl of Listowel
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New Creation	Baron Pethick-Lawrence 1945–1961	Succeeded by Extinct