| Sir Edwin Leather KCMG KCVO Kt |
|
|---|---|
| Governor of Bermuda | |
| In office 1973–1977 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Richard Sharples |
| Succeeded by | Peter Ramsbotham |
| Member of Parliament for North Somerset |
|
| In office 1950–1964 |
|
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Paul Dean |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 May 1919 Toronto, Ontario Canada |
| Died | 5 April 2005 (aged 85) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch | Toronto Scottish and Royal Canadian Artillery. |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Venerable Order of Saint John |
Sir Edwin Hartley Cameron "Ted" Leather, KCMG, KCVO (22 May 1919 – 5 April 2005) was a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and Governor of Bermuda.
Contents |
Sir Edwin H. C. Leather was born in Toronto, Canada. He was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1937.
During the Second World War, Captain Leather served with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, Canadian Army in England and Europe. He was badly injured in a practice jump when his parachute failed to open. He rejoined his Battalion for D-day. He served in Europe during World War II with the Toronto Scottish and Royal Canadian Artillery. [1] He wrote a manual for the Home Guard called "Combat without Weapons". [2] He worked as an insurance broker in England and was secretary of the Central London branch of the Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians.
At the 1945 general election Leather stood without success in the Bristol South constituency, but at the 1950 general election he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Somerset. He was a backbencher throughout the period of Conservative governments from 1951–1964. He supported the Unions, and held office in the Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians and supported the miners. [3] Leather never held political office but was a popular speaker at Party Conference and other events, as well as on radio and television. He was a One Nation Tory; he forcefully opposed racism and supported the European Union.
Leather was proposed for knighthood but, still a Canadian citizen, required the support of the Canadian government which had not made any honour recommendation for some years; Prime Minister John Diefenbaker declined to support the recommendation. He was eventually knighted in 1962 when he was made a Knight bachelor, having taken British citizenship. He quit Westminster in 1964 because of illness. Poor health and the low pay for MPs forced Leather to retire from Parliament at the 1964 general election and enter business. He returned to the political scene a few years later, as vice-chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, taking a leading role in fund raising and at Party Conference. In 1973, following the murder of Sir Richard Sharples, Leather was appointed Governor of Bermuda. Despite the assassination of his predecessor and an aide, he lived informally and mixed with locals; he continued to live in Bermuda after his retirement in 1977. He got in trouble with the chief of police for recklessly riding his bicycle on the island of Bermuda.[4] He became the local representative of N M Rothschild & Sons and wrote several thrillers. As Governor, his nickname was "Imperial Leather", a pun on his surname, position and the famous brand of soap.
He was appointed KCMG in 1974 and in 1975 became the first Canadian to be appointed KCVO since the future 1st Lord Shaughnessy in 1907. Leather was an active freemason and an Anglican lay reader. During his time as Governor of Bermuda, Sir Edwin made a significant effort to include a number of influential Bermudians as part of the vice-regal household. Among them were Rev. Thomas N. Nisbett, Bermuda's first Black Anglican priest (later Canon Thomas Nisbett), and Major Eugene Raynor, who became Colonel and Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda's armed forces.
He was an accomplished gymnast and founded the International Sports Fellowship.
Edwin Leather's parents were Harold and Grace Leather. Leather married Sheila Greenlees in 1940; they had two daughters. Leather's home was Park House, Batheaston. [5] During the First World War Harold Leather served in East Africa with the Army Service Corps, finishing the war as a Lieutenant. Upon his return to Canada he established Leather Cartage in Hamilton Ontario. During the Second World War Harold was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (1943) for his work in coordinating the Red Cross parcel scheme in Canada. He would go on to become Chairman of the Canadian Red Cross Society.
See also Nickle Resolution.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by (new constituency) |
Member of Parliament for North Somerset 1950–1964 |
Succeeded by Paul Dean |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Richard Sharples |
Governor of Bermuda 1973–1977 |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Ramsbotham |