Oswald Lewis

Oswald Lewis (5 April 1887 – 12 February 1966) was a British businessman, barrister and politician.[1][2]

Born in Hampstead, north west London, he was the younger son of John Lewis, founder of the chain of department stores that bears his name.[1][3] He was educated at Westminster School and Christchurch, Oxford where he received the Boulter Exhibition in Law and graduated with an honours degree in jurisprudence.[1][4] He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1912, but never practised.[4]

In 1911 he joined the 2nd County of London Yeomanry (Westminster Dragoons), and served in western Europe during the First World War.[1]

In 1908 Lewis entered local politics when he was elected to St Marylebone Borough Council at a byelection. He was supported by both the Conservative and Liberal parties against a Labour Party candidate.[5] He remained on the council until 1912.[1] In 1913 he was elected to the London County Council to represent Hoxton for the Liberal-backed Progressive Party.[6][7] He sat on the council until 1919.[1]

He was a partner in John Lewis & Company until his father's death in 1928, when he sold his shares to his brother John Spedan Lewis.[8] In the same year he married Frances Merriman and the couple had two children.[1]

Lewis was the owner of Beechwood, a Grade II listed Georgian house in 11 acres of grounds in Highgtae, north London.[9]

Although originally affiliated to the Liberal Party, having been a prospective parliamentary candidate for North Dorset, by 1928 he had moved to the Conservatives. In December 1928 he was chosen as Conservative candidate to defend the seat of Colchester at the upcoming general election.[4] He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP), and held the seat until his defeat at the 1945 general election by George Smith,[10] who became Colchester's first and only Labour MP.

Lewis did not return to politics, returning to business. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Farriers of the City of London, and was master of the company in 1952.[11] He died at his home in Highgate, north London in February 1966 aged 78.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "LEWIS, Oswald". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. December 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  2. ↑ "House of Commons constituencies beginning with "C"". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons page. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Obituary: Mr. Oswald Lewis". The Times. 14 February 1966. p. 12.
  4. 1 2 3 "Colchester Conservative Candidate". The Times. 31 December 1928. p. 11.
  5. ↑ "Marylebone Borough Council". The Times. 24 November 1908. p. 14.
  6. ↑ "County Council Election". The Times. 27 February 1913. p. 10.
  7. ↑ London County Council Election, The Times, 7 March 1913, p.10
  8. ↑ "City News in Brief". The Times. 17 September 1928. p. 21.
  9. ↑ "Oligarch Alisher Usmanov 'wants to expand empire'". Camden New Journal. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  11. ↑ "Farriers Company". The Times. 11 September 1952. p. 9.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Sir Laming Worthington-Evans		 Member of Parliament for Colchester
1929–1945		 Succeeded by
George Smith
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