Laurence George Bowman

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Laurence George Bowman (16 March 1866 – 21 November 1950) was a British Liberal politician and headmaster. He was born in Poland when it was part of Tsarist Russia and moved to England in 1870. He studied at the Jews Free School and University College London, earning a BA (Hons) in Mental and Moral Science, an MA in Philosophy, a BSc, and a Teachers’ Diploma.

In 1893 he married Fanny Cohen; she died in 1942. They had a son who was killed in 1917 and a daughter, Ruth.

Bowman spent his career at the Jews Free School: assistant master (1880–1898), vice-master (1898–1907), and headmaster (1908–1930) before retiring. He also held several educational and public roles, including chairman of the Education Committee of the Jewish Religious Education Board, representative on the Appeal Tribunal of the Unemployment Assistance Board, and vice-chairman of the Central School Employment Committee. He lectured on education and politics.

Politically, he supported free trade, land value taxation, and profit-sharing in industry. He served on the Executive Committee of the London Liberal Federation. He was the Liberal candidate for St Pancras South East in the 1935 General Election; the seat was not favourable to the Liberals, who finished third in 1929. He remained a prospective parliamentary candidate until the outbreak of war but did not stand again in 1945. He was President of the South Hendon Division Liberal Association.

His daughter Ruth Bowman (born 1894) married Sidney Abrahams in 1914. They had two children, Valerie and Anthony. Ruth, as Lady Abrahams, was active in the Liberal Party and stood for Parliament three times: Orpington in 1950, Nottingham East in 1951, and Wembley North in 1955.