Peter Freeman (politician)

Peter Freeman (19 October 1888 – 19 May 1956) was a British Labour Party politician, tennis champion, animal rights activist, theosophist and vegetarian.

Peter Freeman
Member of Parliament
for Newport
In office
26 July 1945 – 19 May 1956
Preceded byRonald Bell
Succeeded byFrank Soskice
Member of Parliament
for Brecon and Radnor
In office
30 May 1929 – 7 October 1931
Preceded byWalter Hall
Succeeded byWalter Hall
Personal details
Born(1888-10-19)19 October 1888
London, England
Died19 May 1956(1956-05-19) (aged 67)
SpouseElla Drummond Torrance
Children2
OccupationPolitician, writer

Biography

Freeman was born on 19 October 1888 in London, one of nine children of George James Freeman who was in the tobacco industry.[1]

He was educated at the Haberdashers' School before entering the family business and he became managing directory of the Freeman factory in Cardiff, Wales.[1] He was a noted lawn tennis player and won the Welsh Championship in 1919 and was also described as an expert swimmer.[1]

He was elected as member of parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire at the 1929 general election, defeating the Conservative MP Walter D'Arcy Hall by only 187 votes. When Labour split at the 1931 general election over Ramsay MacDonald's formation of a National Government, D'Arcy Hall retook the seat with a majority of over 8,000.

Freeman unsuccessfully stood at the 1935 general election in the Newport constituency, losing by 1,545 votes to the Conservative MP Reginald Clarry. When Clarry died in January 1945, Freeman did not contest the by-election on 17 May. However, at the general election in July 1945, he took the seat with a majority of 9,091 votes over Clarry's Conservative successor Ronald McMillan Bell. He withdrew from his company responsibilities to devote himself to "Parliamentary, philanthropic and social obligations".[1]

Freeman held the seat until his death in 1956 at the age of 67. The resulting 1956 Newport by-election was won by the Labour candidate Frank Soskice, the former Attorney General.

Freeman had married Ella Drummond Torrance and they had a son and daughter.[1]

Personal life

Theosophy

Freeman was the general secretary of the Theosophical Society in Wales from 1922 to 1944.[2] In 1924, he authored a pamphlet Druids and Theosophy.[3]

Freeman contributed the chapter "The Practical Application of Theosophy to Politics and Government" to D. D. Kanga's book Where Theosophy and Science Meet.[4]

Vegetarianism

Although his wealth came from the tobacco industry he was a non-smoker and vegetarian.[1] Freeman was president of the Vegetarian Society between 1937 and 1942.[5]

Freeman supported animal rights and colonial freedom.[6] He was an anti-vivisection campaigner.[7]

Selected publications
  • Druids and Theosophy (1924)
  • Our Younger Brothers: The Animals (1926)
  • A Vegetarian Looks at the World (The Theosophist, 1951)
  • The World Food Crisis Solved by a Vegetarian (1956)

References
  1. "Mr. P. Freeman,M.P – An energetic reformer". The Times. No. 53536. London. 21 May 1956. p. 10.
  2. Report of the Annual Conference, Volumes 54-58. Labour Representation Committee, 1955. p. 38
  3. Löffler, Marion. (2007). The Literary and Historical Legacy of Iolo Morganwg, 1826-1926. University of Wales Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0708321133
  4. Freeman, Peter. (1939). The Practical Application of Theosophy to Politics and Government. In D. D. Kanga. Where Theosophy and Science Meet: A Stimulus to Modern Thought. Adyar Library Association.
  5. Wilson, David A. H. (2015). The Welfare of Performing Animals: A Historical Perspective. Springer. p. 99. ISBN 978-3-662-45833-4
  6. Howe, Stephen. (1993). Anticolonialism in British Politics: The Left and the End of Empire, 1918-1964. Clarendon Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0198204237
  7. Preece, Rod. (2011). Animal Sensibility and Inclusive Justice in the Age of Bernard Shaw. UBC Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7748-2109-4

Bibliography
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