Edwin Stanley Gange
Encyclopedia
Edwin Stanley Gange was an English merchant
and Liberal
politician.
, the son of the Reverend Edwin Gorsuch Gange, a nationally known Baptist
minister who was for nearly 25 years the pastor
of the Broadmead
Chapel. In 1895, at Bristol, he married Alice Maud Denning and they had two sons, William (b. 1896) and Gerald (b.1900) Gange went into trade and is usually described as a merchant. He also had interests in property and was Director of Lennards, a Bristol property company.
religion and his commercial interests attracting him to the Liberal Party. He was a co-opted member of Bristol Town Council and was he Chairman of Bristol North Liberal Association during the time Augustine Birrell
(also a Baptist) was MP for the constituency. He involved himself in the public life of Bristol, serving as a Justice of the Peace
and in 1931-32, he was Sheriff
of Bristol.
After a long Parliamentary and ministerial career, but one which ended in comparative failure with his resignation as Chief Secretary for Ireland
in the aftermath of the Easter Rising
, Augustine Birrell decided not to contest the 1918 general election
. Bristol Liberals selected Gange as his successor and he fought Bristol North
as a Coalition Liberal
. He was not opposed by the Unionists
and he was presumably awarded the Coalition coupon
. In a three cornered fight with Labour
and National Party
candidates he won over 60% of the vote, with a majority of 6,393 over Labour. However he did not stand for re-election in 1922 and did not contest any further Parliamentary elections.
Gange retained his association with the Liberals after 1922, serving as the President of the Bristol Liberal Club after leaving Parliament
. After the political crisis which led to the formation of the National Government in 1931, he supported the Liberal Nationals
, lending his weight to campaigns supporting Robert Bernays, the National candidate in Bristol North.
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Personal life and career
Gange was born in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, the son of the Reverend Edwin Gorsuch Gange, a nationally known Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister who was for nearly 25 years the pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the Broadmead
Bristol city centre
Bristol city centre is the commercial, cultural and business centre of Bristol, England. It is the area south of the central ring road and north of the Floating Harbour, bounded north by St Pauls and Easton, east by Temple Meads and Redcliffe, and west by Clifton and Canon's Marsh...
Chapel. In 1895, at Bristol, he married Alice Maud Denning and they had two sons, William (b. 1896) and Gerald (b.1900) Gange went into trade and is usually described as a merchant. He also had interests in property and was Director of Lennards, a Bristol property company.
Political and public life
Gange was drawn into politics, his nonconformistNonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
religion and his commercial interests attracting him to the Liberal Party. He was a co-opted member of Bristol Town Council and was he Chairman of Bristol North Liberal Association during the time Augustine Birrell
Augustine Birrell
Augustine Birrell PC, KC was an English politician, barrister, academic and author. He was Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1907 to 1916, resigning in the immediate aftermath of the Easter Rising.-Early life:...
(also a Baptist) was MP for the constituency. He involved himself in the public life of Bristol, serving as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and in 1931-32, he was Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Bristol.
After a long Parliamentary and ministerial career, but one which ended in comparative failure with his resignation as Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
in the aftermath of the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, Augustine Birrell decided not to contest the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
. Bristol Liberals selected Gange as his successor and he fought Bristol North
Bristol North (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol North was a borough constituency which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
as a Coalition Liberal
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
. He was not opposed by the Unionists
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and he was presumably awarded the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
. In a three cornered fight with Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and National Party
National Party (UK, 1917)
The National Party was a short-lived British political party created in August 1917 as a right-wing split from the Conservative Party.-Formation:...
candidates he won over 60% of the vote, with a majority of 6,393 over Labour. However he did not stand for re-election in 1922 and did not contest any further Parliamentary elections.
Gange retained his association with the Liberals after 1922, serving as the President of the Bristol Liberal Club after leaving Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. After the political crisis which led to the formation of the National Government in 1931, he supported the Liberal Nationals
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
, lending his weight to campaigns supporting Robert Bernays, the National candidate in Bristol North.