Leonard Benjamin Franklin
Encyclopedia
Leonard Benjamin Franklin (15 November 1862 – 11 December 1944) was an English barrister
, banker and Liberal Party
politician, of Jewish descent.
. In this way, Franklin was born into a Liberal family which also included Venetia Stanley, famous correspondent of H H Asquith and future Liberal Party leader, Herbert Samuel
. In 1888 Franklin married Laura Agnes Ladenburg and they had one son and three daughters.
, London and the Athenée Royale school in Brussels
.
in 1894, although he never practised. In 1892 he had become a partner in the firm of A Keyser & Co. of Throgmorton Street
in the City of London
, foreign bankers and was a senior partner after 1929 During the First World War, he was appointed as Local Government Board
representative at Folkestone
with the task of dealing with the large numbers of refugees from ‘gallant little Belgium’ when the voluntary War Refugee Committee could no longer cope with the weight of numbers. For this work he was awarded the OBE
. He was later posted to France to report on the finances of British military hospitals. Franklin also served as a Justice of the Peace
.
Member of Parliament, Arthur Strauss from 893 to 598 votes. He fought the seat again at the 1918 general election
but this time, as a supporter of the Independent Asquithian Liberals he was not favoured with the Coalition coupon
and lost his deposit
. Interestingly at this election the former Tory
MP, Arthur Strauss, had switched parties and was standing as an Independent Labour candidate. He too lost his deposit.
At the 1922 general election
, Franklin fought St Pancras South East constituency but in a three-cornered contest with Conservative and Labour
opponents, he came bottom of the poll.
. Standing in Central Hackney
in a three-cornered contest, he obtained a majority over the Conservatives of 1,317 votes. However he was unable to hold the seat at the 1924 general election
, falling to bottom place as the Tories regained the constituency and Labour jumped into second place. Franklin tried to win the seat back at the 1929 general election
but again came third in a tight three-way contest, although this time it was the Labour Party which won the seat. Franklin’s final attempt to regain Hackney Central came in the 1931 general election
. He again came third, although this time by a wider margin, as the Conservatives took the seat back from Labour as the representatives of the National Government.
.
(PR) and invented a system known as Percentage PR. In 1922 he published the book Percentage Proportional Representation.
, Kent on 11 December 1944 at the age of 82 years.
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, banker and Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician, of Jewish descent.
Family
Franklin was born in London in 1862, the son of Ellis Franklin, a banker and his wife Adelaide who was a sister of Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron SwaythlingSamuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling
Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling was a British banker who founded the bank of Samuel Montagu & Co.. He was a philanthropist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1900, and was later raised to the peerage.Montagu was born in Liverpool as Montagu Samuel, the second...
. In this way, Franklin was born into a Liberal family which also included Venetia Stanley, famous correspondent of H H Asquith and future Liberal Party leader, Herbert Samuel
Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel GCB OM GBE PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Early years:...
. In 1888 Franklin married Laura Agnes Ladenburg and they had one son and three daughters.
Education
Franklin was educated at King's College SchoolKing's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, London and the Athenée Royale school in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
Career
Franklin studied for the law and was called to the Bar at the Inner TempleInner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1894, although he never practised. In 1892 he had become a partner in the firm of A Keyser & Co. of Throgmorton Street
Throgmorton Street
Throgmorton Street is a street in the City of London between Lothbury to the west and Old Broad Street to the east. It is named after Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, chief banker of England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and head of an ancient Warwickshire family. The London Stock Exchange formerly...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, foreign bankers and was a senior partner after 1929 During the First World War, he was appointed as Local Government Board
Local Government Board
The Local Government Board was a British Government supervisory body overseeing local administration in England and Wales from 1871 to 1919.The LGB was created by the Local Government Board Act 1871 The Local Government Board (LGB) was a British Government supervisory body overseeing local...
representative at Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
with the task of dealing with the large numbers of refugees from ‘gallant little Belgium’ when the voluntary War Refugee Committee could no longer cope with the weight of numbers. For this work he was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. He was later posted to France to report on the finances of British military hospitals. Franklin also served as a Justice of the Peace
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...
.
Radical interests
Franklin undertook social work in London and was described as an ‘ardent Radical.’ From 1908, he was Chairman of North Paddington Liberal Association. He served as honorary treasurer of the London Radical Candidates’ Association, taking a particular interest housing and traffic.1908-1922
Franklin first stood for Parliament at the December 1910 general election as Liberal candidate in Paddington North. He did not win the seat but he reduced the majority of the sitting UnionistConservative 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...
Member of Parliament, Arthur Strauss from 893 to 598 votes. He fought the seat again at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
but this time, as a supporter of the Independent Asquithian Liberals he was not favoured with the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
and lost his deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
. Interestingly at this election the former Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
MP, Arthur Strauss, had switched parties and was standing as an Independent Labour candidate. He too lost his deposit.
At the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, Franklin fought St Pancras South East constituency but in a three-cornered contest with Conservative and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
opponents, he came bottom of the poll.
1923-1931
Franklin achieved the only Parliamentary win of his career at the 1923 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Standing in Central Hackney
Hackney Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Hackney Central was a borough constituency in what was then the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, in London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in a three-cornered contest, he obtained a majority over the Conservatives of 1,317 votes. However he was unable to hold the seat at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
, falling to bottom place as the Tories regained the constituency and Labour jumped into second place. Franklin tried to win the seat back at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
but again came third in a tight three-way contest, although this time it was the Labour Party which won the seat. Franklin’s final attempt to regain Hackney Central came in the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
. He again came third, although this time by a wider margin, as the Conservatives took the seat back from Labour as the representatives of the National Government.
Knighthood
Franklin was knighted in the King’s Birthday Honours List of 1932 for political and public services, becoming a Knight BachelorKnight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
.
Jewish interests
Much of the social work which Franklin undertook was based in the Jewish community in London and he also held positions in respect of various synagogues. He was a vice-president of the Jewish Workingmen’s Club and of the South Hackney Jewish Social and Literary Society.Publication
Franklin was a strong supporter of the reform of proportional representationProportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
(PR) and invented a system known as Percentage PR. In 1922 he published the book Percentage Proportional Representation.
Death
Franklin died suddenly at his home, The Grange, GoudhurstGoudhurst
Goudhurst is a village in Kent on the Weald, about south of Maidstone.It stands on a crossroads , where there is a large village pond. It is also in the Cranbrook School catchment area....
, Kent on 11 December 1944 at the age of 82 years.