Henrietta Adler

Henrietta Adler JP (1 December 1868 – 15 April 1950), known as Nettie Adler, was a British Liberal Party politician who was one of the first women to be elected to and to be able to take her seat on the London County Council.

Henrietta Adler
Born1 December 1868 (1868-12)
London
Died15 April 1950 (1950-04-16) (aged 81)
London
Other namesNettie Adler
OccupationBritish politician

Early life

Adler was born in London on 1 December 1868. She was the daughter of Hermann Adler, who would later succeed his father as chief rabbi, and Rachel Adler. She was educated at a private school and classes.[1]

Career

Adler began social work as a school manager under the London School Board. She was honorary secretary of the Committee on Wage Earning Children, 1899–1946. She was a Member of Council of the Anglo-Jewish Association and a member of the Jewish Board of Guardians.[1] She was a justice of the peace.[2]

Political career

Adler was a Liberal Party member, which in London local government was aligned with the Progressive Party. She was first politically active in her home area of Hackney. Her main political interest was in education. She was a member of the governing bodies of the Dalston County School, of the Hackney Downs School and the Hackney Technical Institute. Due to her interest in educational matters she was co-opted onto the London Education Committee by the Progressive majority in 1905, serving as on that body until she was elected to it following the 1910 London County Council election. When the Liberal government first created the London County Council in 1899 there was no stipulation that women could not stand as candidates for election and two Progressive women candidates stood and were elected. However, there was a legal challenge made by one of the defeated conservative candidates and as a result, neither of the women were able to take their seats. When the Liberal Party returned to power, they changed the law in 1908 to allow women to be elected to the London County Council and this change came into effect for the 1910 elections. Adler was one of two women who were elected, as one of the representatives for the constituency of Hackney Central in 1910.

Hackney Central in London
London County Council election, 1910: Hackney Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Y Alfred James Shepheard 3,684 27.5
Progressive Y Henrietta Adler 3,521 26.2
Municipal Reform G J Dowse 3,157 23.5
Municipal Reform John Foster Vesey-FitzGerald 3,053 22.8
Majority 527 4.0
Progressive gain from Municipal Reform Swing
Majority 364 2.7
Progressive gain from Municipal Reform Swing

In March 1913 she was re-elected, although her running mate lost to the Municipal Reform Party;

London County Council election, 1913: Hackney Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Municipal Reform Y William Ray 3,670 25.2
Progressive Y Henrietta Adler 3,653 25.0 -1.2
Municipal Reform Lord William Cecil 3,645 25.0
Progressive Alfred James Shepheard 3,622 24.8
Majority 8
Progressive hold Swing n/a
Majority 48
Municipal Reform gain from Progressive Swing

In March 1919, following the end of the war, the boundaries for her constituency were slightly altered and she was returned unopposed due to an electoral agreement of the Progressive and Municipal Reform parties to only adopt one candidate each;

Hackney Central in London
London County Council election, 1919: Hackney Central[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Y Henrietta Adler Unopposed n/a n/a
Municipal Reform Y William Ray Unopposed n/a n/a
Progressive hold Swing n/a
Municipal Reform hold Swing n/a

In March 1922 the electoral arrangement between the Progressive and Municipal Reform parties continued;

Adler
London County Council election, 1922: Hackney Central[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Y Henrietta Adler Unopposed n/a n/a
Municipal Reform Y William Ray Unopposed n/a n/a
Progressive hold Swing n/a
Municipal Reform hold Swing n/a

From 1922 to 1923 she served as deputy chair of the London County Council. She was defeated in 1925.

London County Council election, 1925: Hackney Central[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Municipal Reform Y William Ray 4,878
Municipal Reform Y Humfrey Henry Edmunds 4,595
Labour P H Black 3,299 n/a
Labour John Hunter Harley 3,183 n/a
Progressive Henrietta Adler 2,759
Progressive A Mortimer 2,436
Municipal Reform gain from Progressive Swing n/a
Municipal Reform hold Swing n/a

She was a Member of the Departmental Committee on Charity Collections, 1925–27. Following the demise of the Progressive Party she was re-elected to the LCC in 1928 standing as a Liberal Party candidate;

London County Council election, 1928: Hackney Central[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Municipal Reform Y William Ray 5,092
Liberal Y Henrietta Adler 5,008
Municipal Reform Lord Cranbrook 4,960
Liberal G J Lusher-Pentney 4,820
Labour Amy Sayle 2,743
Labour H W Butler 2,737
Independent Labour S L Alexander 625 n/a
Independent Labour J W Head 593 n/a
Liberal gain from Municipal Reform Swing
Municipal Reform hold Swing

She was finally defeated in 1931.

London County Council election, 1931: Hackney Central[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Municipal Reform Y Sir William Ray 5,468
Municipal Reform Y Montague Moustardier 5,224
Labour Dr Bernard Homa 3,715
Labour Dr Mary O'Brien-Harris 3,672
Liberal Henrietta Adler 2,774
Liberal H Baily 2,324
Municipal Reform gain from Liberal Swing
Municipal Reform hold Swing

Despite her election defeat in 1931, she was co-opted onto the London County Council Public Health Committee for a three-year term.[1]

References

  1. "Who's Who". ukWhosWho.com. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. "Adler, Henrietta [Nettie] (1868–1950), social worker and Jewish political activist | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". www.oxforddnb.com. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/57022. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  3. London Municipal Notes, 1913
  4. London Municipal Notes – Volumes 18–23, London Municipal Society
  5. The Times 6 March 1925 p16
  6. The Times 9 March 1928 p11
  7. The Times 6 March 1931 p16
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