Maurice Alexander

Maurice Alexander, (24 December 1889 – 16 July 1945) was a Canadian barrister and soldier who later moved to England and had careers in the Diplomatic Service, English law and politics.

Family and education Maurice Alexander was born into a Jewish family, the son of L G Alexander JP. He was educated at McGill University in Montreal, where he was a Gold Medallist of the Literary Society. He obtained BA and BCL degrees.

Career Alexander went in for the law. He was called to the bar of Quebec in 1910 and became a member of the firm of Davidson, Wainwright, Alexander and Elder barristers of Montreal. In 1916 he was appointed to the post of Deputy Judge Advocate-General, and stepped up to the full role in 1917. He was mentioned in despatches and in 1917 he won the CMG.

In 1918 he entered the service of the Overseas Department of the Foreign Office and acted as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington from 1919 to 1920. He returned to the United Kingdom to practice law and was called to English Bar at the Middle Temple in 1920 and was appointed to North Eastern Circuit. In 1922 he was appointed King's Counsel by the government of Canada.

Alexander also had private business interests. He was a director of the Elkington Co., Ltd, of Birmingham and London.

1923

The next general election followed quickly in 1923, on the issue of whether to reintroduce or 'reform' tariffs, and following Bonar Law's death. By this time, the Lloyd George National/Coalition Liberals had reunited with the Independent Liberals, led by former Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. In Southwark South East, Alexander, standing as a Liberal (without the prefix) had another straight fight with Naylor. Although the 1923 general election was largely successful for the reunited Liberals, bringing it 30% of the popular vote and 158 seats, this was almost entirely at the expense of the Conservatives in rural and suburban seats. The story against Labour in working class and industrial seats was very different. Alexander lost his seat to Naylor by a majority of 1,490 votes. At the 1924 general election, Alexander decided to cut his ties with Southwark, and stood instead as a Liberal candidate in North Norfolk. This was the seat of Noel Buxton, a former Liberal who had defected to Labour. Alexander came a poor third in the contest, losing his deposit.

1929–1931

Alexander did not contest the 1929 general election, apparently reverting to his law practice in London, but in 1931, perhaps influenced by his defeat by Buxton, he surfaced as the Labour candidate in Newcastle upon Tyne East. However, in a straight fight with the sitting MP, the Liberal National, Sir Robert Aske, he lost by the wide margin of 10,346 votes. The intervention of the Second World War meant that the general election due to be held by 1940 was postponed, and Alexander did not get to contest Bermondsey. It is not clear when or why he lost faith with the Labour Party, or why he should have been drawn to Sir John Simon's Liberal Nationals.

Death Alexander died suddenly at his flat at Chesterfield House, South Audley Street, Mayfair, aged 55 years.