Leslie Haden-Guest, 1st Baron Haden-Guest

Leslie Haden Haden-Guest, 1st Baron Haden-Guest MC (10 March 1877, Oldham – 20 August 1960) was a British author, journalist, doctor and Labour Party politician.

Life and career

Haden-Guest was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, the son of Catharine Anna (née Johnson) and Alexander Haden-Guest,[1] a physician and surgeon of Manchester who was an active worker for the left. He was educated first at William Hulme's Grammar School, then studied medicine at Owens College, Manchester and the London Hospital.

He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in the Boer War, World War I and World War II, winning a Military Cross. He was the founder of the Anglo-French Committee of the Red Cross and the Order of St. John. He was a member of the London County Council for Woolwich (East), 1919-1922. He was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Southwark North, 1923-1927 and for Islington North, 1937-1950 and founded the Labour Party Commonwealth Group. He was created a peer in 1950 and was a Lord-in-Waiting to the King, February-October 1951 and thereafter an Assistant Opposition Whip in the House of Lords. In 1898, he married Edith, daughter of Max Low of London, by whom he had two sons, Stephen and Richard. He was divorced in 1909 and in 1910 married Muriel Carmel, (the daughter of Albert Goldsmid), by whom he had two sons, David (who was killed in the Spanish Civil War) and Peter and a daughter, Angela. His third marriage was in 1944 to Dr. Edith Edgar Macqueen, daughter of George Macqueen. He was the grandfather of actor Christopher Guest.

Haden-Guest converted to Judaism before his marriage to Muriel Goldsmid, his second wife.[2] He "renounced Judaism" in 1924, describing himself subsequently as a "Konfessionslos".[3][4] He was the first Jew to stand for Parliament as a Labour candidate.[5]

References

  1. ^ Roberts, Ernest Stewar; Edward John Gross (1898). Biographical history of Gonville and Caius college, 1349-1897: containing a list of all known members of the college from the foundation to the present time, with biographical notes. University press. pp. 554. 
  2. ^ Murray, William Henry (1952). Adam and Cain: symposium of old Bible history, Sumerian Empire, importance of blood of race, juggling juggernaut of the leaders of the Jews, the Gothic civilization of Adam and the ten commandments of his church. Murray. 
  3. ^ Menorah Association (New York, N.Y.) (1957). The Menorah journal (Intercollegiate Menorah Association) 45: 93. 
  4. ^ American Hebrew and Jewish messenger (American Hebrew) 141 (25). 1937. ISSN. 
  5. ^ "the first Jewish Labour candidate, Captain Haden-Guest": Jewish Chronicle 11 March 1966, page 8

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Edward Anthony Strauss		 Member of Parliament for Southwark North
1923–1927		 Succeeded by
Edward Anthony Strauss
Preceded by
Albert William Goodman		 Member of Parliament for Islington North
1938–1950		 Succeeded by
Ronw Moelwyn Hughes
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Haden-Guest
1950–1960		 Succeeded by
Stephen Haden-Guest