Charles Challen


Charles Challen (15 February 1894 – 20 June 1960) was a British barrister and politician.

For the English cricketer, see Charles Challen (cricketer).

Charles Challen
Member of Parliament
for Hampstead
In office
27 November 1941 (1941-11-27) – 3 February 1950 (1950-02-03)
Preceded byGeorge Balfour
Succeeded byHenry Brooke
Personal details
Born(1894-02-15)15 February 1894
Died20 June 1960(1960-06-20) (aged 66)
Political partyConservative
Alma materJesus College, Cambridge (MA, LLB)
OccupationBarrister
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
Years of service1914 – 1919
RankLieutenant
UnitRoyal Field Artillery
Battles of World War IFrance
Egypt

Biography

Challen received a Bachelor of Laws and Master's degree from Jesus College, Cambridge (later becoming a member of the Oxford and Cambridge Club).[1] During the First World War, he served in France and Egypt as a Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery. He never married.[2] Challen was Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead from 1941 to 1950.[2][3] In October 1945, an antisemitic petition was drawn up, with the help of Waldron Smithers's (Conservative MP for Orpington) Fighting Fund for Freedom, by residents of Hampstead, requesting "that aliens of Hampstead should be repatriated to assure men and women of the Forces should have accommodation upon their return" from World War II.[4] The petition was signed by the antisemitic Conservative mayor of Hampstead Sydney A. Boyd and four of Hampstead's Conservative councillors, with the rest of the Conservative members of the council in favour of the petition.[4] Hampstead's Conservative MP, Charles Challen, promised to give the petition his "unstinting support"[4][5] and he asked a number of questions in the House of Commons on behalf of the petitioners over the following months.[4] When the petition was complete, Conservative Councillor J. A. Hughes passed it to Challen who, "rather than repudiate the sponsors for their antisemitism", delivered it to Parliament.[4] He died on 20 June 1960, aged 66.

References
  1. "Mr Charles Challen". MembersAfter1832.HistoryOfParliamentOnline.org. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. "CHALLEN, Charles". Who Was Who. A & C Black. 1920–2008. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  3. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 1)
  4. Graham Macklin, 'A quite natural and moderate defensive feeling'? The 1945 Hampstead 'anti-alien' petition' (2003) in Patterns of Prejudice 37:3 DOI: 10.1080/00313220307594
  5. Hannah Ewence, 'Placing the 'Other' in Our Midst: Immigrant Jews, Gender and the British Imperial Imagination' (2010), University of Southampton, Faculty of Humanities, PhD Thesis


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