OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 191, 9 May 1940, Page 10

OBITUARY

Mr. George Lansbury LONDON, May 7. The veteran Labour member, Mr. George Lansbury, is dead, at the age of SI. Mr. Lansbury was born in Suffolk in February, 1859, and lived, all t y is life in London, or in _ its vicinity, except for a brief period when ho and his family emigrated to Queensland in 1884, returning to England the following year. He represented Bow and Bromley in the House of Commons from 1910 to 1912, and since 1922. In the East End of London he built up a good business as a timber merchant, and still bad time to devote to local body affairs, Poplar gave him every local office possible-guardian, borough councillor, mayor, and county councillor. He was the founder of the first Poor Law Labour Colony in Laindon, and of the Hollesiey Bay Colony, and the children s home at Shcnfield, Essex. In 1921 he was imprisoned with 29 other Poplar councillors in connexion with their protest against the methods then in force for poor law taxation.

He was formerly editor of the ‘‘Daily Herald,” the Labour newspaper, and also edited the “Labour Weekly.” He was First Commissioner of Works from 192!) to 1931, and Leader of the Labour Party from 1931 to 1935. He wrote a number of Socialist hooks, the most popular of which are “Your Part in Poverty,” “What I Saw in Russia,” and “The Miracle of Fleet Street.” In 1880 Mr. Lansbury married Miss Elizabeth Brine, who died in 1933. They had two sons and six daughters. Mr. Lansbury was a great worker for peace. In 1930 his peace mission took him to flic United States, and lie. also visited Italy, where he spoke with Signor Mussolini. Later he interviewed Herr Hitler in the same cause of peace.