Edward Lawrence Levy
Encyclopedia
Edward Lawrence Levy (born 21 December 1851 – May 1932) was a British weightlifter.
In February 1891, Levy won the first British Amateur Weightlifting Championship. Between 1891 and 1894, he established 14 world weightlifting records.
In March 1891, competing against champions from Brussels, Hamburg, England, Vienna, Italy, and Berlin in a three-day event, Levy won the first World Weightlifting Competition
. The event consisted mainly of repetition and alternate pressing, with 56 pounds or 84 pounds in each hand.
In 1896, at the first modern Olympics
in Athens
, he was as a member of the International Weightlifting Jury. Levy founded the Amateur Gymnastics Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.
In 1988, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
.
E. Lawrence Levy began work for the drink trade (brewers) in 1891 as an assistant agent for the Midland District of the National Trade Defence Association. A few years he was promoted to agent, a position he held until his death. Licensed Trade News, 28 May 1932, pp. 1-2. (He had served as editor of this Birmingham-based newspaper.) Otherwise he ran a Jewish school in Birmingham, was active in Conservative Party affairs (in a predominantly Liberal Unionist city) and in amateur theatricals, and served as choirmaster for a synagogue choir. He was a celebrated weightlifter who in middle age won many weightlifting titles (including the first British amateur weightlifting championship and the first world championship, both in 1891) and then served as a judge for weightlifting at the first modern Olympics in 1896. Levy was a founder of the amateur gymnastic association for Great Britain and Ireland. He wrote numerous books, most of them published in Birmingham by J.G. Hammond and the others by the organization that was the subject of the book). His books include The Midland Conservative Club (1883 and After) (1909), The Autobiography of an Athlete (1913), Birmingham Athletic Club, 1866-1916 (1916), The History of the Lodge of Israel, 1474, Warwickshire, 2 vols. (1916 and 1924), a Masonic lodge founded in 1874, Birmingham Theatrical Reminscences. Jubilee Reflections (1870-1920) (1922), and Birmingham Jewry, 1870, Then, and 1929, Now (1929). Levy served as honorary secretary of the political committee of the Midland Conservative Club from 1884 to 1890, when friction with Liberal Unionists forced him to resign. Levy, Midland Conservative Club, pp. 50-51, 58. According to Somerset House, he left an estate of a little more than 1,874 pounds. For details about Levy's work for the drink trade, see David M. Fahey,
"Brewers, Publicans, and Working Class Drinkers: Pressure Group Politics in Late Victorian and Edwardian England," Histoire sociale 13 (May, 1980)
Career
Levy, who was Jewish, was born in London, England. He was a member of the Birmingham Athletic Club.In February 1891, Levy won the first British Amateur Weightlifting Championship. Between 1891 and 1894, he established 14 world weightlifting records.
In March 1891, competing against champions from Brussels, Hamburg, England, Vienna, Italy, and Berlin in a three-day event, Levy won the first World Weightlifting Competition
World Weightlifting Championships
World Weightlifting Championships is an event organised by International Weightlifting Federation .It has been held since 1891. In March 1891, competing against champions from Brussels, Hamburg, England, Vienna, Italy, and Berlin in a three-day event, Edward Lawrence Levy of England won the first...
. The event consisted mainly of repetition and alternate pressing, with 56 pounds or 84 pounds in each hand.
In 1896, at the first modern Olympics
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, he was as a member of the International Weightlifting Jury. Levy founded the Amateur Gymnastics Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.
In 1988, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
.
E. Lawrence Levy began work for the drink trade (brewers) in 1891 as an assistant agent for the Midland District of the National Trade Defence Association. A few years he was promoted to agent, a position he held until his death. Licensed Trade News, 28 May 1932, pp. 1-2. (He had served as editor of this Birmingham-based newspaper.) Otherwise he ran a Jewish school in Birmingham, was active in Conservative Party affairs (in a predominantly Liberal Unionist city) and in amateur theatricals, and served as choirmaster for a synagogue choir. He was a celebrated weightlifter who in middle age won many weightlifting titles (including the first British amateur weightlifting championship and the first world championship, both in 1891) and then served as a judge for weightlifting at the first modern Olympics in 1896. Levy was a founder of the amateur gymnastic association for Great Britain and Ireland. He wrote numerous books, most of them published in Birmingham by J.G. Hammond and the others by the organization that was the subject of the book). His books include The Midland Conservative Club (1883 and After) (1909), The Autobiography of an Athlete (1913), Birmingham Athletic Club, 1866-1916 (1916), The History of the Lodge of Israel, 1474, Warwickshire, 2 vols. (1916 and 1924), a Masonic lodge founded in 1874, Birmingham Theatrical Reminscences. Jubilee Reflections (1870-1920) (1922), and Birmingham Jewry, 1870, Then, and 1929, Now (1929). Levy served as honorary secretary of the political committee of the Midland Conservative Club from 1884 to 1890, when friction with Liberal Unionists forced him to resign. Levy, Midland Conservative Club, pp. 50-51, 58. According to Somerset House, he left an estate of a little more than 1,874 pounds. For details about Levy's work for the drink trade, see David M. Fahey,
"Brewers, Publicans, and Working Class Drinkers: Pressure Group Politics in Late Victorian and Edwardian England," Histoire sociale 13 (May, 1980)
Books
- Birmingham Jewry: 1870, then; and 1929, now, by Edward Lawrence Levy, Publisher J. G. Hammond