Frank Wise was born in Bury St. Edmunds on 3rd July, 1885.
Educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge,
he joined the Civil Service in 1908. He served on the National Health
Insurance Committee (1912-14) and during the First
World War was Assistant Director of Army Contracts (1915) and
Second Secretary to Ministry of Food (1918).
A
member of the Labour Party, Wise unsuccessfully
contested Bradford North in the 1924 General
Election. He was elected for Leicester East in May 1929.
The election
of the Labour Government in 1929 coincided
with an economic depression and Ramsay
MacDonald was
faced with the problem of growing unemployment. MacDonald asked Sir
George May, to form a committee to look into Britain's economic problem.
When the May Committee produced its report in July, 1931, it suggested
that the government should reduce its expenditure by £97,000,000,
including a £67,000,000 cut in unemployment benefits. MacDonald,
and his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip
Snowden, accepted the report but when the matter was discussed
by the Cabinet, the majority voted against the measures suggested
by Sir George May.
Ramsay
MacDonald was
angry that his Cabinet had voted against him and decided to resign.
When he saw George V that night, he was
persuaded to head a new coalition government that would include Conservative
and Liberal leaders as well as Labour
ministers. Most of the Labour Cabinet totally rejected the idea and
only three, Philip Snowden, Jimmy
Thomas and John Sankey agreed to join
the new government.
Wise, a strong opponent of MacDonald's new government, lost his seat
at Leicester East in the 1931 General Election.
Frank Wise died on 5th November, 1933.
(1)
Beatrice Webb diary
entry (April 1931)
Unquestionably a forceful - a hostile critic might say - a blatant
personality. Burly and formless in figure, ugly hands and feet, large
head, with heavy jaw and protruding under lip dominating the face,
insignificant nose and eyes, set close together, loud strident voice
- he is an imposing but not prepossessing man to look at and to listen
to. In his statement of fact, and slovenly in his thinking, he is
not an accomplished intellectual, but he has bonhomie, great mental
energy, high spirits. He enjoys life: he is decisive and lucid in
speech, a good debater, and I think honest. A loyal servant and good
friend.
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