Joseph Leckie

Joseph Alexander Leckie (24 May 1866 – 9 August 1938) [Leigh Rayment http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Wcommons1.htm] was a British Liberal, later Liberal National politician and leather manufacturer.

Education and business life

Leckie was born in Glasgow the son of John and Isabella Leckie. He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Bellahouston Academy, Glasgow] . Leckie joined his father’s wholesale saddlery and leather goods manufacturing business, which had branches in Glasgow, London and Walsall. He travelled widely on the company’s business in Europe, Canada, the USA and Central America. He continued to work for the company until 1928. During this time he was a member and sometime president of Walsall Incorporated Chamber of Commerce. Leckie later became a member of the Council of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire. He married Jean Wightman, the daughter of a Walsall Justice of the Peace ["Who was Who", OUP 2007] .

Public life

Like most late Victorian businessmen, Leckie took an interest in public affairs. As early as 1898 he was chosen as Hon. Secretary to the Walsall Victoria Nursing Institution and he took an active part in temperance, social and religious works. Presumably reflecting his Glasgow roots, Leckie was a Presbyterian. He served as president of the West Midland Federation of Free Churches and treasurer of the Federal Council of the Free Churches [The Times, 13.8.38] . He also served as president of the Walsall and District Band of Hope Union for some years.

Local Politics

In 1905, Leckie became a member of the Walsall Education Committee and he was Chairman of the Committee from 1930-37. He was first elected to Walsall Town Council in 1916 and was an Alderman of what was by then the County Borough of Walsall from 1930 until 1937. He was Mayor of Walsall in 1926-27. In 1933 he was elected the Executive Committee of the Association of Education Committees. In 1937 he was made an honorary freeman of Walsall [The Times, 13.12.37] . He also served as a Justice of the Peace.

Parliament

In 1931, Leckie was chosen to be Liberal candidate for Walsall at the general election. This was the election following the formation of the National Government under Ramsay MacDonald. An agreement was made with the Conservatives and Leckie got a free run against the sitting Labour MP John McShane. When the Liberal Party withdrew from the National Government after the general election and divided into those who supported the coalition and those against, Leckie stayed with the National Liberal group led by Sir John Simon. He stood as a Liberal National again at the 1935 general election and was returned with a majority of 8,969 votes [The Times, 9.9.38] . The by-election in Walsall which followed Leckie’s death resulted in a win for the Liberal National (government) candidate Sir George Schuster [The Times, 17.11.38] .

Death

Leckie, who had suffered from increasing deafness as he grew older [The Times, 13.8.38] , died on 9 August 1938 at a nursing home in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

References