Edward Albert Lessing

Edward Albert Lessing OBE (28 July 1890 – 25 August 1964) was a British corn trader, Liberal Party politician and an early authority on Soviet Russia.

He was born in Mayfair, London the son of Albert and Augusta Lessing. He was educated at Marlborough and University College, Oxford. In 1918 he was awarded the OBE.

Lessing qualified as a Barrister, having received a Call to Bar, by the Inner Temple. He was Chairman of Strauss & Company Limited, grain merchants. From 1945-1947 he worked as an Interpreter IO, Civil Servant. He was a Director of the Baltic and Mercantile Exchange. He was Vice-Chairman of the National Federation of Corn Trade Associations. He was Chairman of Alexandria Trading Corporation Limited. From 1960 until his death he was a Director of Contemporary Review.

During the First World War of 1914-1918, he served in Europe as a Captain in the Grenadier Guards. He was a Member of the Military Mission to Russia. During the Second World War of 1939-1945 he served as a Lieutenant in the Paymaster Royal Army Pay Corps from 1939–42, and as a Captain in the Pioneer Corps from 1942–1945.

In 1922 he stood as the Liberal candidate in the Unionist-held constituency of Abingdon, in Buckinghamshire. Here Unionist Party candidates had been returned at every election since 1910. The last Liberal candidate to win here was Edward Strauss who was Lessing's uncle. The Unionist was unopposed at the 1918 general election and at the Abingdon by-election, 1921. It therefore came as a bit of a surprise when Lessing lost by only 540 votes to the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) Arthur Loyd;

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