Alfred Salter
Alfred Salter (born June 16, 1873 in Greenwich , † August 24, 1945 in Guy's Hospital , London ) was an English doctor and politician who belonged to the currents of Christian Socialism . This basic personal attitude also included a decided pacifism , which he articulated on the occasion of the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 as follows: “I believe that all killing is murder and is wrong.” (“I believe that all killing is murder and is therefore wrong . ")
Life
Salter attended the John Roan School in Greenwich and began studying medicine at Guy's Hospital in London in 1889 , which he successfully completed in 1896.
In his private life, Salter was interested in politics and after reading a few books by Edward Bellamy , Karl Marx and Henry Hyndman , he became a staunch socialist . At the age of seventeen he joined the Social Democratic Federation in 1890 , but switched to the Fabian Society a few months later .
During his student days he made several house calls in the working class Bermondsey area. The poverty he experienced there reinforced his socialist ideals. In 1898 he settled himself in Bermondsey and offered free medical care to those who could not pay for his services.
In Bermondsey he met Ada Brown, whom he married on August 22, 1900. On June 5, 1902, daughter Joyce was born, who died of scarlet fever in 1910 .
Under the influence of the Wesleyan Methodist John Scott Lidgett, Salter entered the Liberal Party , for which he was elected to the Bermondsey Borough Council in 1903 . Two years later he became a member of the London County Council . Dissatisfied with the lack of radicalism of the Liberal Party, Salter joined the Independent Labor Party in May 1908 , which soon became part of the newly formed Labor Party .
After several electoral defeats, Salter was elected to the House of Commons for Bermondsey West in 1922 . Although he lost his seat in 1923, he was re-elected in 1924 and held this post until he retired in 1945 due to illness.
Alfred Salter died on August 24, 1945 in Guy's Hospital, his former training center, as a result of a heart attack . His wife Ada had already died on December 5, 1942.
literature
- Joseph Bullman, Neil Hegarty, Brian Hill: The Secret History of Our Streets - A Story of London . BBC Books, London 2013, p. 52ff. ISBN 978-1-84990-451-3
Web links
- Alfred Salter at Spartacus Educational (English; accessed August 15, 2017)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Salter, Alfred |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English doctor and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 16, 1873 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Greenwich , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 24, 1945 |
| Place of death | Guy's Hospital , London |