Edward Hemmerde

Edward George Hemmerde, KC (13 November 1871 – 24 May 1948) was an English rower, barrister, politician, and Georgist.

Hemmerde was born at Peckham, south London, the son of James Godfey Hemmerde and his wife Frances Hope. His father was a bank manager with the Imperial Ottoman Bank. Hemmerde was educated at Winchester College and University College, Oxford. At Oxford he was a successful single sculler, and won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta in 1900, beating the previous winner American B H Howell. He was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1897 and established his law practice. In 1908, he took silk and was appointed Recorder of Liverpool in 1909, although his relations with the city authorities there were seldom good. He married Lucy Elinor Colley at Chelsea, London in 1903 but they were divorced in 1922. They had a son (who was killed in 1926) and a daughter.

Hemmerde first tried to enter Parliament at the general election of 1900 when he fought Winchester. He was next selected by Shropshire Liberals for a by-election at Shrewsbury expected in 1904. However, there was no by-election and he remained contest Shrewsbury at the 1906 General Election. He was soon after elected as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for the East Denbighshire constituency at a by-election on 14 August 1906, the sitting Liberal MP, Samuel Moss, having resigned to take up an appointment as a county court judge.