Leslie Seymour
Encyclopedia
Leslie George Seymour, JP
(1 November 1900 – 15 April 1976) was a British
company director and politician from the City of Birmingham
.
Schooled at Solihull Grammar School, Seymour left school at the age of 14 to work in a laboratory at a technical school. He then went into manufacturing industries, and became Managing Director of Improved Metallic Appliances Ltd. He was also involved in Conservative Party
politics and was elected to Birmingham City Council
from Small Heath
ward in 1937. After losing his seat in 1946, he returned to the council from Rotton Park Ward in 1947 for two further terms before again being defeated in 1954. He specialised in the more mundane aspects of local government such as rating and valuation, although he was chair of the Civil Defence Committee in 1944.
Seymour was Conservative candidate in the safe Labour seat of Birmingham Ladywood at the 1951 general election
. At the 1959 general election
, he fought Birmingham Sparkbrook
: the Labour incumbent Percy Shurmer
had died shortly before polling day, and Seymour managed to defeat his underprepared successor as candidate.
A low-profile MP, Seymour was an instinctive right-winger and at the 1964 general election
he called for legal restrictions on coloured immigration in overcrowded areas such as Sparkbrook. The Labour Party candidate Roy Hattersley
was strongly opposed to racialism and regained the seat. After failing to regain his seat at the 1966 general election
, Seymour retired. In 1974 he was made an Honorary Alderman
of Birmingham.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(1 November 1900 – 15 April 1976) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company director and politician from the City of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Schooled at Solihull Grammar School, Seymour left school at the age of 14 to work in a laboratory at a technical school. He then went into manufacturing industries, and became Managing Director of Improved Metallic Appliances Ltd. He was also involved in Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politics and was elected to Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
from Small Heath
Small Heath, Birmingham
Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
ward in 1937. After losing his seat in 1946, he returned to the council from Rotton Park Ward in 1947 for two further terms before again being defeated in 1954. He specialised in the more mundane aspects of local government such as rating and valuation, although he was chair of the Civil Defence Committee in 1944.
Seymour was Conservative candidate in the safe Labour seat of Birmingham Ladywood at the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
. At the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, he fought Birmingham Sparkbrook
Birmingham Sparkbrook (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham, Sparkbrook was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
: the Labour incumbent Percy Shurmer
Percy Shurmer
Percy Lionel Edward Shurmer was a British Labour Party politician and postal worker.In the 1945 general election, he won the Birmingham Sparkbrook constituency from the Conservative Member of Parliament, Leo Amery. Shurmer held the seat until death some months before the 1959 general election,...
had died shortly before polling day, and Seymour managed to defeat his underprepared successor as candidate.
A low-profile MP, Seymour was an instinctive right-winger and at the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
he called for legal restrictions on coloured immigration in overcrowded areas such as Sparkbrook. The Labour Party candidate Roy Hattersley
Roy Hattersley
Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...
was strongly opposed to racialism and regained the seat. After failing to regain his seat at the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, Seymour retired. In 1974 he was made an Honorary Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Birmingham.