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Edward Frank Wise CB (3 July 1885 – 5 November 1933) was a British economist, civil servant and Labour Party politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1929 to 1931. As a civil servant at the
National Insurance Commission National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famili ...
,
War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
and
Ministry of Food Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...
and
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
he was instrumental in introducing state control for the requisitioning of raw materials at the War Office and of prices and the meat trade at the Ministry of Food. Following the
Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Paris () is the capital and largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the fourth-most populous city in the European Union and the 30th most densely pop ...
, he was a Delegate to the
Supreme Economic Council The Supreme Economic Council was established in February 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference by the allied powers Belgium, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Background The Allied Maritime Transport Council (AMTC) had been ...
and led the negotiations for the
Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement The Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement was an agreement signed on 16 March 1921 to facilitate trade between the United Kingdom and the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic. It was signed by Robert Horne, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leonid Kra ...
1920–21. He was an adviser to
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
at the
Genoa Conference (1922) The Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of representatives from 34 European countries held in the ancient Palazzo San Giorgio of Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922. Unlike the previous international economic conferen ...
. He controversially resigned from the UK Civil Service to become the Director of the Soviet Union's Trade Office Centrosoyuz in 1923. Wise was elected as an
Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...
Member of Parliament for
Leicester East Leicester East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since July 2024 by Shivani Raja of the Conservative Party. Constituency profile This is an urban constituency, much of which is densely developed as hous ...
at the May 1929 general election, but lost his seat at the subsequent general election in October 1931. He was a prominent member of the ILP but resigned when it disaffiliated from the Labour Party in 1932, becoming the first chairman of the Socialist League. He had a close relationship with Jennie Lee, which ended in 1933 with his sudden death at
Wallington Hall Wallington is a country house and gardens located about west of Morpeth, Northumberland, England, near the village of Cambo. It has been owned by the National Trust since 1942, after it was donated complete with the estate and farms by Sir ...
, the home of Sir Charles Trevelyan.


Early life

Frank Wise was born on 3 July 1885 at 13 Albert Street,
Bury St. Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: . P ...
, the
county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
of
West Suffolk West Suffolk may refer to the following places in Suffolk, England: * West Suffolk (county), a county until 1974 * West Suffolk District, a local government district established in 2019 * West Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency), an electoral di ...
. He was the elder of the two sons of Edward Wise, a game dealer and fishmonger, and Ellen Clayton Wise (née Joel). The Wise family had been East London fishmongers for at least three generations and the Joel family were originally from North Wales and active in the linen trade in London. Edward Wise, his father, died on 29 February 1888 and the two boys were brought up by their mother Ellen Wise, who established a ladies outfitter and baby linen business in Bury St. Edmunds from the early 1890s onwards. Wise attended Guildhall Feoffment School and
King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds King Edward VI School is a co-educational Comprehensive school, comprehensive secondary school in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The school in its present form was created in 1972 by the merging of King Edward VI Grammar School, with the Silv ...
, winning an Exhibition Scholarship to
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...
, to read
Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
. He was a member of the Football and Athletics teams (half Blue). He was Second Senior
Optime At the University of Cambridge in England, a "Wrangler" is a student who gains first-class honours in the Mathematical Tripos competition. The highest-scoring student is the Senior Wrangler, the second highest is the Second Wrangler, and so on. ...
in the Mathematical
Tripos TRIPOS (''TRIvial Portable Operating System'') is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 a ...
in 1906, graduating with a
B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
Degree in 1906. He then took a second class in Part I in the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1907.Thompson, Noel ise, Edward Frank (1885–1933) economist and politician''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' on-line edition. Retrieved 19 July 2014


Civil servant

Wise passed his civil service examinations and became a junior clerk in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
in 1907. He was called to the Bar at
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
in 1911. At this time he was also a Sub Warden of
Toynbee Hall Toynbee Hall is a charitable institution that works to address the causes and impacts of poverty in the East End of London and elsewhere. Established in 1884, it is based in Commercial Street, Spitalfields, and was the first university-affili ...
, the University Settlement in
Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...
. He and
Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...
were in the cast of
Ali Baba "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" () is a folk tale in Arabic added to the ''One Thousand and One Nights'' in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popu ...
and the Forty Borough Councillors, the Toynbee Hall
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
in December 1909. Wise played Ali Baba and Attlee took the role of
Guava Guava ( ), also known as the 'guava-pear', is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), nativ ...
Djelli. Wise was Sub-Warden between 1911 and 1912 and was noted as a vigorous advocate of new social legislation. Wise was one of the Toynbee men who were in key positions in Government Administration during the First World War. His association with
Toynbee Hall Toynbee Hall is a charitable institution that works to address the causes and impacts of poverty in the East End of London and elsewhere. Established in 1884, it is based in Commercial Street, Spitalfields, and was the first university-affili ...
continued after the war. He transferred to the Government Insurance Department which introduced the
National Insurance Act 1911 The National Insurance Act 1911 (1 & 2 Geo. 5. c. 55) created National Insurance, originally a system of health insurance for industrial workers in Great Britain based on contributions from employers, the government, and the workers themselves. ...
and became acting Principal Clerk to the National Health Insurance Commission in 1912. He was involved in developing the machinery for implementing the Act and was particularly concerned with devising a scheme for the decasualisation of dock labour.Macrae-Gibson, J.H. ''E.F.Wise C.B. The Civil Servant who resigned'' p. 202 He became secretary to the Anglo-Russian Supplies Committee in the
War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
(1914–15), responsible for purchasing munitions for Russia. He was promoted to be Assistant Director of Army Contracts in charge of clothing and raw materials in late 1915.British Library of Political and Social Science, LSE, London E.M.H. Lloyd Papers In this position he created a Raw Materials Section, consciously imitating the work of
Walther Rathenau Walther Rathenau (; 29 September 1867 – 24 June 1922) was a German industrialist, writer and politician who served as foreign minister of Germany from February 1922 until his assassination in June 1922. Rathenau was one of Germany's leading ...
in the German War Office, introducing state trading and control of Russian flax. He had responsibility for army clothing contracts and also took on the chairmanship of the Central Committee for the Boot and Leather Trades which ensured that the sufficient leather for Army boots was available at prices that could be afforded. He moved to the
Ministry of Food Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...
, following the appointment of U.F.Wintour as permanent secretary, in 1917, becoming head of the Meat, Milk, Fats Division introducing control of the meat trade. He was described as an ‘aggressive and impatient spirit', convinced of the ‘danger and impossibility of half-measures' and harshly contemptuous of ‘self-interest, timidity and caution'. He was ‘constantly taking risks, doing unprecedented things, defying the precedents, incurring the disapproval of his colleagues, butting in and suggesting improvements, short-circuiting the established routine and stretching the authority given to him to its extreme limit... he was a thruster; a man of action; an adventurer who took a creative artist's delight in a successful piece of organisation.' He was appointed
Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...
(CB) in the
1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Janu ...
for services during the war.


Provisioning Germany and Supreme Economic Council

Wise was seconded by the Ministry of Food to advise on food supplies to Germany in February 1919 becoming the Food Controller's delegate on the
Supreme Economic Council The Supreme Economic Council was established in February 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference by the allied powers Belgium, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Background The Allied Maritime Transport Council (AMTC) had been ...
in March 1919 as part of the team, involved with supplying food to Germany and other countries leading up to the
Paris Peace Conference 1919 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. He made an ‘on the ground' inspection and his report on the need to provide food supplies was accepted by the
UK Cabinet The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of the Government of the United Kingdom. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the Prime Minister and its members include Secretaries of State and senior Mini ...
and the Supreme Economic Council. He remained in Paris during this period and in September was appointed as a UK representative on the Supreme Economic Council when it moved to London that autumn.


Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement

He accompanied
Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
to Paris as a member of the British delegation which intended to finalise the Peace Treaty. Wise's scheme for opening negotiations with the Soviet Union was circulated to the UK Cabinet on 13 January 1920. It argued that the continuance of the
Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
and the blockade meant that food supplies were not reaching Europe and as a result high prices were being paid for American supplies. Central Europe in particular needed food and only Russia could provide sufficient grain and this would transform the situation. The Cabinet minute confirmed that discussions would begin with the Soviet Representatives on opening trade and negotiations developed over the following months. Wise took a key role as the Chairman of the Interdepartmental Russia Committee, acting as the British Representative on the Supreme Economic Council, which was tasked with the detailed arrangements for concluding the trade negotiations. The
Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement The Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement was an agreement signed on 16 March 1921 to facilitate trade between the United Kingdom and the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic. It was signed by Robert Horne, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leonid Kra ...
was signed on 16 March 1921. The legal significance of ''de facto'' recognition meant that Soviet goods were now protected from claimants with debts incurred through confiscation or nationalisation and the Soviet Mission in London became a permanent, rather than a transient presence.


Genoa Conference (1922)

Wise was involved in detailed negotiations about the Russian position and the conditions laid down for their participation in the
Genoa Conference The Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of representatives from 34 European countries held in the ancient Palazzo San Giorgio of Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922. Unlike the previous International Monetary and Econo ...
1922. His role as an adviser to Lloyd George provoked resentment in the Foreign Office, which considered him to have "decidedly left wing views" being an "arch-bolshevist" with little "experience of international politics." He was not allowed by the Foreign Office to sit on conference proceedings. His involvement in the negotiations at the Genoa Conference that culminated in the Rapallo Treaty between the Soviet Union and Germany, was the subject of much speculation and dispute. The treaty cast a shadow of the remainder of the Conference. It is suggested that it had major consequences since Germany deliberately broke the West's solidarity towards Soviet Russia to gain its own advantage. It was decided to postpone all the difficult issues to a further conference at The Hague in June. He attended this but Lloyd George did not and although it was intended to negotiate with the Russians on debts, property, and credits, it failed to reach agreement and the Russians admitted they had nothing new to offer.


Civil service resignation – appointment to Centrosoyuz

Since 1921 he had been an Assistant Secretary
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
in the Civil Service.''Manchester Guardian'' 6 Nov. 1933 Obituary: Mr.E.F. Wise He was also prominent in the Society of Civil Servants. This Society had arranged a series of lectures in 1920 and 1921. Wise was chairman of its lecture committee and spoke on ‘The Civil Service in relation to industry and commerce.' It is claimed that it was Wise's inspiration that was largely responsible for the founding of the Institute of Public Administration since the sub-committee which organised the lectures was also responsible for drawing up proposals for the Institute. Wise became the interim Chairman of the Institute (subsequently the
Royal Institute of Public Administration Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...
) until he resigned from the Civil Service in March 1923. He resigned as Assistant Secretary, Board of Trade on 1 March 1923. His press statement stated that his resignation was in order for him to accept an invitation to act as an Economic Adviser in respect of foreign trade to the Central Union of Russian Co-operative Societies, Centrosoyuz and as a Director of the London Office of the Russian Co-operative Organisations. Questions were asked in the House of Commons on 6 March 1923. Reaction from the ''
Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning ...
'' was extremely critical although other papers were more complimentary. The organisation brought together all the co-operatives in Russia which had been formed from the consumer cooperative societies which had been introduced from England and Germany in the late 19th century. Its own bulletin, published to coincide with Wise's appointment in March 1923 stated that it was entirely non political and responsible for its own business. However, it is generally accepted that this was incorrect and that the co-operatives had been under Soviet Government control since at least the start of the trade negotiations in early 1920. Wise worked for Centrosoyuz as a director and economic adviser developing trade between the UK and Russia until his death in 1933. He visited Russia frequently and represented the Soviet Union's interests in trade, commerce and banking throughout the period. He had excellent contacts both within the UK Government and with the Soviet Government and was used as an intermediary by both. The
Zinoviev letter The Zinoviev letter was a forged document published and sensationalised by the British ''Daily Mail'' newspaper four days before the 1924 United Kingdom general election, which was held on 29 October. The letter purported to be a directive from ...
and the ARCOS affair had a severe impact on Anglo-Soviet relations, leading to a break in diplomatic relations, but Wise's views which he consistently reiterated were that trade between the two countries was essential, as was full diplomatic recognition. He was persistent in seeking to persuade both
Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour Party (UK), Labour politician. He was the first Labour Cabinet of the United Kingdom, cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniqu ...
Foreign Secretary and
Hugh Dalton Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreig ...
Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office in the Labour Government 1929 -31 of the need to restore relations at ambassadorial level.


Independent Labour Party

There are various dates in the literature for when Wise joined the
Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...
. Oldfield suggests that he was a pre-war member and the biography of Jennie Lee gives 1921 but ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' records in its issue for Wednesday 28 November 1923 that following his resignation from the Civil Service to develop Anglo-Russian trade, he placed his services at the disposal of the Independent Labour Party. In the 1924 General Election, Wise was the Independent Labour Party candidate in the Bradford North constituency. He lost to the Unionist,
Eugene Ramsden Eugene Joseph Squire Hargreaves Ramsden, 1st Baron Ramsden OBE (2 February 1883 – 9 August 1955), known as Sir Eugene Ramsden, Bt between 1938 and 1945, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. Background Ramsden was the s ...
by 2,017 votes in what had been a Liberal seat in 1923 but had previously been Unionist in 1922.


''The Living Wage''

Wise's involvement with the ILP was significant. His initial contribution was to its policy on agriculture in the early 1920s, influenced by his experience in the Ministry of Food. This led eventually to the setting up of a number of commissions by 1925, the most significant of which was to forge a plan for the ‘abolition of poverty and the realisation of socialism' based on
John A. Hobson John Atkinson Hobson (6 July 1858 – 1 April 1940) was an English economist and social scientist. Hobson is best known for his writing on imperialism, which influenced Vladimir Lenin, and his theory of underconsumption. His principal and e ...
's theory of 'under consumption'. The Living Wage Commission under its secretary H. N. Brailsford, produced its interim report Socialism in Our Time for the 1926 ILP Party Conference. Despite criticisms during the debate about the possibility of arriving at a figure for a living wage that everyone could agree to, let alone one that could be enforced, Wise was adamant that in the past every trade union had tried to fix and enforce a minimum wage, restricted by having to look at the circumstances of its own industry at the moment. However, he saw no outstanding difficulties in doing over a wide area what had been done in a multitude of cases. The final report, called ''The Living Wage'', was produced in September 1926. It is suggested that Wise had been the main author of ''Socialism in Our Time''.
Beatrice Webb Martha Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield, (née Potter; 22 January 1858 – 30 April 1943) was an English sociology, sociologist, economist, feminism, feminist and reformism (historical), social reformer. She was among the founders of the Lo ...
called ''The Living Wage'' a monument of conceit and ignorance, suggesting that Brailsford was probably the author with Wise's help. Others disagreed, claiming that the document was far in advance of its time, becoming the basis of all future social reform legislation. The novelty of the final report was its identification of the low demand for goods as among the potent causes of the widespread unemployment since low wages diminished domestic purchasing power. More than any other document produced by the ILP, it was a comprehensive statement of domestic policy in which, though the overt emphasis was on a living wage, the central argument was for the adoption of full-scale planning. It is claimed that in many ways this programme anticipated Keynesian economics and, indeed, helped to pave the way for the great reception of
Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist and philosopher whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originall ...
in the 1940s.


Second Labour Government

The General Election in May 1929 saw the return of a Labour Government under
Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...
. Wise was the Independent Labour Party candidate for Leicester East, winning the seat with a majority of 8,732 over the Unionist. His maiden speech was on the dumping of German wheat on 30 October 1929. The speech was described as a ‘brilliant debut' and ‘an impressive maiden speech,' although others were less complimentary and he was attacked for his involvement with the Russian Government and his appointment as the Economic Adviser to Centrosoyuz. He supported the Soviet Government through speeches in the House of Commons, in contributions to conferences and journals and lobbying for diplomatic recognition. Wise became a member of the dissident ILP Group along with
James Maxton James Maxton (22 June 1885 – 23 July 1946) was a Scottish left-wing politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. He was a pacifist who opposed both world wars. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as on ...
,
Fenner Brockway Archibald Fenner Brockway, Baron Brockway (1 November 1888 – 28 April 1988) was a British socialist politician, humanist campaigner and anti-war activist. Early life and career Brockway was born to Rev. William George Brockway and Frances Eliz ...
and Jennie Lee and others who agreed to the conditions of the ILP National Administrative Council which required that members of the parliamentary group accept the policies of the ILP Conference and those contained in ‘Socialism in Our Time.' This inevitably provoked a clash with the remainder of the Parliamentary Labour Party and they opposed the Government's policy, especially its unemployment policy on fundamental economic grounds. In December 1929 there were a series of amendments proposed for the Unemployment Insurance Bill, which caused considerable dissension within the Labour Party and within the ILP Group in Parliament. Wise was one of the main contributors and their principal spokesman on the issue. At the ILP Annual Conference in April 1930 there was a major debate about unemployment. Wise complained that some of the socialists in the House desired to be more capitalistic than the capitalists and that the policy of the Government had been in many respects less socialistic than persons in charge of industry would have desired. The Second Parliamentary Session from October 1930 – October 1931 was dominated by the unemployment issue and the deterioration of relationships between the ILP and the Labour Party Executive. The budget on 27 April 1931 caused great unease because if there was insufficient yield from taxation then the reduction of expenditure would be the only alternative to increased taxation. During the debate in the House of Commons, the budget was called a complete gamble by the Conservatives'
Oliver Stanley Oliver Frederick George Stanley (4 May 1896 – 10 December 1950) was a prominent British Conservative politician who held many ministerial posts before his early death. Background and education Stanley was the second son of Edward Stanley, 1 ...
and attacked by Wise as insufficiently socialist. Matters came to a head with the publication at the end of July 1931 of the May Report on National Expenditure It proposed major reductions in government spending and balancing the budget. Wise wrote in the
New Leader ''The New Leader'' (1924–2010) was an American political and cultural magazine. History ''The New Leader'' began in 1924 under a group of figures associated with the Socialist Party of America, such as Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas. It w ...
of 7 August that it was almost unthinkable that the Government could identify itself with a report which reversed the principles of the Labour Movement. The Cabinet resigned and
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
agreed to the formation of a National Government, led by Ramsay MacDonald on 24 August 1931. Wise bitterly attacked the Government as it became clear that a general election would follow. He argued for an international approach to the world financial crisis and concluded that never again could this country permit its economic life, its financial stability and the livelihood of its workers to be at the mercy of bankers in the City of London. They were guided, not by any general considerations of national policy or interest, which were entirely outside their province, but only by their immediate personal interests.


Independent Labour Party disaffiliation from the Labour Party

At the subsequent election, Wise lost his seat to the Conservative Abraham Montagu Lyons. The quarrel between the ILP and the Labour Party continued after the election.
James Maxton James Maxton (22 June 1885 – 23 July 1946) was a Scottish left-wing politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. He was a pacifist who opposed both world wars. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as on ...
sought to ensure that the ILP had freedom to advocate its own policies but the Labour Party refused to allow a party within a party. Wise was determined to keep the ILP inside the Labour Party and challenged Maxton on the issue. Maxton's response is quoted by
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
– "Frank Wise asks me if I have another instrument than the Labour Party for the achievement of Socialism and if I have counted the cost. The answer is 'yes'. I ask him if he has counted the cost of remaining inside and working another 38 years for a repetition of the fiasco of 1931." There was failure to break the deadlock between the Labour Party and the ILP and a Special ILP Conference was held at Bradford in July and disaffiliation was recommended. This was agreed and ILP members were ordered to withdraw from local Labour Parties and other groups such as local authorities. Wise resigned from the ILP National Administrative Council and the split in the ILP's ranks became final. The breakdown in relationships between the ILP and the Labour Party in July 1932 left a political vacuum on the left. As a result, those, including Wise, who wanted to remain attached to the Labour Party determined to form a new faction within the Labour Party and established the ILP Affiliation Committee in 1932. The Society for Socialist Inquiry and Propaganda (SSIP) had been founded while the Labour Government was still in office in an endeavour to secure the adoption of a well-considered socialist programme. The first Chairman was
Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1940 and ...
. It had been formed in close association with the New Fabian Research Bureau whose Chairman was Clement Attlee. Neither of these groups sought to take any direct part in parliamentary politics or seek formal affiliation to the Labour Party. Negotiations between the SSIP and the Affiliation Committee led to amalgamation and the formation of the Socialist League which was founded prior to the Labour Party Conference in October 1932. The members would not accept Ernest Bevin as Chairman of any combined body and insisted on Wise as its first Chairman. Bevin's biographer states that this confirmed all his old prejudices about intellectuals. The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party approved the League's request for affiliation to the Party in November 1932.


Nationalising the banks

At the Labour Party Conference at Leicester in October 1932, Wise (as a delegate for the Mid-Bucks Party) moved the amendment to a resolution from the Labour Party's National Executive on the subject of currency, banking and finance. This resolution had made no mention of the joint stock banks other than the
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...
and he said they should be brought under public ownership and control. It was opposed by Ernest Bevin on what he called "practical grounds". The resolution was defeated and the amendment passed by a narrow majority. As a result of this vote, the Party Conference committed Labour to the immediate introduction of socialist legislation on gaining office and specifically to the nationalisation of the joint stock banks in addition to the Bank of England. The Times commented that this had hung chains on its leaders and fettered its parliamentary candidates with a crippling burden of Socialist obligations. Following the Conference, the Labour Party's Finance and Trade Committee invited Wise and Clement Attlee to prepare memoranda on the joint stock banks and at the same time
Hugh Dalton Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreig ...
initiated a series of research projects. Wise's work was published in a Socialist League pamphlet entitled The Control of Finance and the Financiers and his ideas were set out in more detail in an article entitled "The Socialisation of Banking" in The Political Quarterly April – June 1933.


The affair with Jennie Lee

According to her autobiography, Jennie Lee first properly met Wise in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
in 1929 during the summer recess, where he had followed her. She considered this was a pleasant coincidence but admitted that if she had known him better, she would not have been so easily deceived. Their affair is detailed at some length in both her own book ''My Life with Nye'' and in her biography by Patricia Hollis and lasted until his death in November 1933. They were both close friends with Charles Trevelyan and visited his house and estate at Wallington in Northumberland. Trevelyan is described by his great niece
Laura Trevelyan Laura Kate Trevelyan (born 21 August 1968) is a British-American journalist who worked for the BBC for 30 years. She served as an '' On the Record'' reporter, United Nations correspondent (2006–2009), and New York correspondent (2009–2012), ...
as being dashing, handsome, wealthy, sporty and ideologically left wing. He was glamorous and very attractive to women. She reports that he enjoyed a close friendship with Jennie Lee for the rest of their lives. Wise's affair with Lee was intense and included visits to Russia and the Caucasus in 1930 and in 1932. The affair was common knowledge around Westminster and Beatrice Webb noted in her diary that ‘it was a scandal in the Party'. Although his wife behaved with great dignity, she did threaten Wise with divorce. However, Jennie Lee did not want a divorce pointing out the implications, their age differences and the problems it would cause to their careers.


Death

Wise died suddenly at Wallington, while on a walk on the estate on 5 November 1933. He was 48. The funeral was held at Bury St. Edmunds St. James's Cathedral Church on 9 November 1933 and he was buried in the cemetery, Bury St. Edmunds. A memorial service was held the next day at
St. Martin-in-the Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...
, London on Friday 10 November 1933.


Family

His brother, Frederick John Wise (born 10 April 1887), was a Member of Parliament (MP) for
King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...
1945–51 and was created 1st Baron Wise of King's Lynn in the County of Norfolk, 24 December 1951. Edward Wise married Dorothy Lilian Owen (1886–1974), eldest daughter of William Shepperson Owen and Lilian Maud Southam on 12 November 1912. Her grandfather was Thomas Southam (1818–1895), founder of the wine merchants Thomas Southam and Son, Mayor of
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
on four occasions. She was the author of ''Piers Plowman: A comparison with some earlier and contemporary French allegories'',Owen, Dorothy L. ''Piers Plowman: A comparison with some earlier and contemporary French allegories''. R. West 1977 9780849220111 based on her M.A. thesis at Royal Holloway College. They had three daughters and a son – Margaret Dorothy (1913–1994), Mary Frances (1918–2007), Helen Irene (1920–2001) and Thomas Frank (1924–2010). His grandchildren include
William John Francis Jenner William John Francis "Bill" Jenner (; born 1940) is an English sinologist and translator, specialising in Chinese history and culture, and translator of Chinese literature. Biography From 1958 to 1962, Jenner studied sinology at Oxford and w ...
English sinologist and specialist translator of Chinese literature and
Peter Jenner Peter Julian Jenner (born 3 March 1943) is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises. Early career Peter Jenner is the son of Will ...
British music manager, former record producer and copyright commentator.


Publications

*''Wage Boards in England'', American Economic Review Vol. 11 no. 1 March 1912 *''The Work of the Supreme Economic Council'' in ''A History of the Peace Conference of Paris'' edited by H.W.V. Temperley Vol. I published under the auspices of the Institute of International Affairs, Henry Frowde, Hodder and Stoughton, London 1920. (Digitised by the Internet Archive in 2007, with funding from Microsoft Corporatio
A history of the Peace Conference of Paris
*''The civil service in relation to industry and commerce'' in The Civil Servant and His Profession: series of lectures delivered to the Society of Civil Servants in March 1920 Pitman, London *''Profiteering in Bread. How to Stop It''. Evidence Given by E.F. Wise on Behalf of the Independent Labour Party Before the Royal Commission on Food Prices *''The Russian Co-operative Movement'', Baron, N. and Wise E. F. Narodny Bank, London 1926 *''The Living Wage'' H.N.Brailsford, John H. Hobson, A. Creech Jones, E.F. Wise. ILP Publication Department, Blackfriars Press, Leicester 1926 *''Consumers Cooperation in Soviet Russia'', Cooperative Union, Manchester 1929 *''The History of the Ministry of Food'', Economic Journal 1929 Vol. 39 Issue 156 pp. 566 – 571 *''The stabilisation of Wheat Prices'', Farmers Club 1930 *''Soviet Russia's Place in World Trade'', Journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs Vol. 9 No. 4 July 1930 pp. 498 – 518 *''An alternative to tariffs'' The Political Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 2, April 1931 pp 186 – 203 *''A Reply to Prof. Robbins'' Political Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 3 July 1931 pp. 411 – 416 *''The socialisation of banking'' Political Quarterly April–June 1933 Vol. IV Number 2 pp. 169 –181 *''The Control of Finance and the Financiers'' in ''Problems of a Socialist Government'' Sir Stafford Cripps et al., Victor Gollancz, London 1933


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* Andrew, Christopher ''British intelligence and the breach with Russia'' in ''The Historical Journal'' Vol.25 Part 4 pp. 957 – 964 * Andrew, Christopher ''Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community'', Heineman London 1985 * Bennett, Gill History Notes ''‘A most extraordinary and mysterious business': the Zinoviev Letter of 1924'' Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Norwich 1999 * Betteridge, Jennifer (Leeds 2006)''The Political Purposes of Surveillance: the Rupture of Diplomatic Relations with Russia May 1927'' se

* Braithwaite W.J. ''Lloyd George's Ambulance Wagon'', edited by Sir Henry Bunbury, Methuen 1957 * Brockway, Fenner ''Inside the Left'', New Leader Ltd. London 1947 * Brockway, Fenner ''Towards Tomorrow'', Hart Davies London 1977 * Bryant, Chris ''Stafford Cripps, The First Modern Chancellor'' Hodder and Stoughton, London 1997 * Burk, Kathleen (ed.) ''War and State The Transformation in British Government, 1914–1919'' George Allen and Unwin London 1982 * Carlton, David ''Macdonald versus Henderson: the foreign policy of the second Labour Government'', Macmillan London * Coates W.P. and Zelda K. ''A History of Anglo-Soviet Relations Vol. 1 1917–42'' Lawrence and Wishart London 1945 * Dorril, Stephen ''Blackshirt: Sir Oswald Mosley and British Fascism'', Penguin London 2007 * Dowse R.E. ''Left in the Centre: The Independent Labour Party 1893–1940'' Longmans Green & Co Ltd. London 1966 * Durbin, Elizabeth ''New Jerusalems'' Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1985 * Flory, Harriet ''The Arcos Raid and the rupture in Anglo-Soviet Relations 1927'' in ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 12 (1977) pp. 707 – 723 * Gilbert, Bentley B. ''The Evolution of the National Insurance in Great Britain, the origins of the welfare state'' Michael Joseph Limited, London 1966 * Glenny M.V. ''The Anglo- Soviet Trade Agreement, March 1921'' ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 1970 Vol. Part 2 pp 63–82 * Gorodetsky, Gabriel ''The Precarious Truce Anglo-Soviet Relations 1924–27'' Cambridge University Press 1977 * Harris, Jose ''William Beveridge – A Biography'' Clarendon Press Oxford 1997 * Hague, Ffion ''The Pain and the Privilege'', Harper Perennial 2009 * Harris, Kenneth ''Attlee'' Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London * Jeffrey, Keith ''MI6 The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909–1949'' Bloomsbury Publishing, London 2011 * Jones, Thomas ''Whitehall Diary Vol.I 1916/1925 and Vol.II 1926/1930'' edited
Keith Middlemas Robert Keith Middlemas (26 May 1935 – 10 July 2013) was an English historian, known for works on modern European political history. Life Middlemas was born in Alnwick, Northumberland on 26 May 1935. He was educated at Stowe School and then join ...
O.U.P 1969 * Kennan, George ''Russia and the West under Lenin and Stalin'' Little, Brown and Company Boston and Toronto 1961 * Macrae-Gibson, J.H. ''E.F.Wise C.B. The Civil Servant who resigned in Red Tape'', ''Journal of the Civil Service Clerical Association'', March 1924 p. 202 * MacMillan, Margaret ''Peacemakers'' John Murray, London 2002 * Maisel, Ephraim ''The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy'', Sussex Academic Press, Brighton 1994 * Meacham, Standish ''Toynbee Hall and Social Reform 1880–1914 The Search for Community'' Yale University Press, New Haven 1987 * McNair, John ''James Maxton The Beloved Rebel'', George Allen and Unwin Ltd. London 1955 * Madeira, Victor ''Britannia and the Bear The Anglo-Russian Intelligence Wars 1917–1929'' The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2014 * Morgan, Kenneth O. ''Consensus and Disunity The Lloyd George Coalition Government 1918–1922'' Clarendon Press Oxford 1979 * Montefiore, Simon Sebag Stalin – ''The Court of the Red Tsar'' Phoenix Paperback 2004 * Morrell, Gordon W. ''Britain Confronts the Stalin Revolution: Anglo-Soviet Relations and the Metro-Vickers Crisis'' Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Ontario, Canada 1995 * Mosley, Sir Oswald ''My Life'' Nelson, London 1968 * Newton, Douglas J. ''British Policy and the Weimar Republic 1918 -1919'' Clarendon Press, Oxford 1997 / 0-19-820314-4 * Nicolson, Harold ''Curzon: The Last Phase 1919–1925; A Study in Post-War Diplomacy'' Constable, London 1937 * Orde, Anne ''British Policy and European reconstruction after the First World War'', Cambridge University Press 1990 * Perkins, Anne ''Red Queen: The Authorised Biography of Barbara Castle'', Macmillan 2003 * Pimlott, Ben ''Labour and the Left in the 1930s'' Allen and Unwin Edition, London 1986 * Riddell, Neil ''Labour in Crisis, the Second Labour Government 1929–31'' Manchester University Press 1999 * Roskill, Stephen ''Hankey Man of Secrets'' Vol. II 1919–1931 Collins 1977 * Seyd, Patrick ''Factionalism within the Labour Party: the Socialist League 1932–37'' in Briggs, Asa and Saville, John ''Essays in Labour History 1918–1939'' Croom Helm, London 1977 * Skidelsky, Robert ''Politicians and the Slump'' Macmillan, London 1967 pp. 47–50 * Stevenson, Frances, ''Lloyd George, A Diary'', edited A. J. P.Taylor, Hutchinson, London 1971, * Taylor A.J.P. ''English History 1914–1945'' Penguin 1970 * Thorpe, Andrew ''A History of the British Labour Party'' Third Edition Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke 2008 * Trevelyan, Laura ''A Very British Family'' I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. London 2006 * Webb, Beatrice ''The diary of Beatrice Webb Vol. 4 1924–1943 The Wheel of Life'' edited by Norman and Jeanne Mackenzie LSE 1985 and LSE Digital Librar
LSE Digital Library
* Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ''Soviet Communism: a new civilisation?'' Special limited edition printed by the authors for subscribing members of trade unions, Passfield 1935 Chapter IV ''Man as a consumer'' * Wertheimer, Egon ''Portrait of the Labour Party'' G.P. Putnam's Sons London 1929 * White, Stephen ''The Origins of Detente: The Genoa Conference and Soviet–Western Relations 1921–22'', Cambridge University Press 1985 * Williams, Andrew ''Labour and Russia The attitude of the Labour Party to the USSR 1924–34'' Manchester University Press 1989 * Williams, Andrew ''Trading with the Bolsheviks: the politics of East West Trade 1920–1939'' Manchester University Press 1992 * Worley, Matthew ''Labour Inside the Gate'' I.B.Tauris London 2005


Personal papers

* Lee, Jennie. The Open University Archive The Jennie Lee Collection GB/2315/J

Correspondence regarding Frank Wise (1929–1980) Ref. GB 2315 JL/3/1/4 * Lloyd, Edward Mayo. LSE Archive
Overview
LLOYD/13 Papers relating to Edward Frank Wise and LOYD/13/1 Biography of Edward Frank Wise, notes, drafts and correspondence relating to biography of Edward Frank Wise (1935) * Trevelyan, Sir Charles. Robinson Library, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Trevelyan Family Papers (Charles Philips Trevelyan)


On-line sources


of National Biography



UK National Archives

The Times Digital Archive subscription



External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, Frank 1885 births 1933 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Independent Labour Party National Administrative Committee members Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge UK MPs 1929–1931 English trade unionists