Larry Sanders (politician)
Lawrence Sanders (born April 29, 1935)[2][3] is an American-British academic, social worker, politician, and former Health and Social Care Spokesperson of the Green Party of England and Wales. He is the older brother of Bernie Sanders, United States Senator from Vermont, and two-time U.S. presidential candidate.
Larry Sanders | |
|---|---|
Sanders in 2008 | |
| Spokesperson for Health and Social Care of the Green Party of England and Wales | |
| In office February 11, 2016 – May 7, 2021[1] | |
| Leader |
|
| Preceded by | Jillian Creasy |
| Succeeded by | office abolished |
| Member of the Oxfordshire County Council from Oxford East | |
| In office 2005–2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lawrence Sanders April 29, 1935 New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality |
|
| Political party | Green (2001–present) Labour (before 2001) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic[a] |
| Spouse | Margaret (died 1983) |
| Domestic partner | Janet Hall (since 1998) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Bernie Sanders (brother) |
| Education | |
Early life, education, and family Edit
Larry Sanders was born in Brooklyn, New York City to Dorothy (née Glassberg) and Eli Sanders.[4][5] His father was a Polish-Jewish immigrant whose family was killed in the Holocaust,[4][6][7] while his mother was born in New York City on October 2, 1912, to Jewish immigrant parents from Radzyń Podlaski, in eastern Poland and Russia.[8][9][10] His father was born in Słopnice, Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Poland), on September 19, 1904,[11] immigrated to America in 1921 at age 17,[12][13] and supported his family by selling paint.[14] Sanders said that when he was a child, his family never lacked food or clothing, but major purchases "like curtains or a rug" were difficult to afford.[14] His mother died on March 25, 1960, at age 47.[7] His father died on August 4, 1962, at age 57.[11] Both he and his brother attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn.[15] Sanders has said they were young postwar Jewish radicals but part of the crowd, not yet leaders.[16]
Sanders attended Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and obtained a master's degree in social work from the University of Oxford.[17] He also attended Harvard Law School in the 1950s, leaving after two years to care for his sick mother. He returned after 35 years and completed his J.D. degree there in 1994.[18]
Sanders immigrated to the United Kingdom in 1968[19] or 1969.[20][21] He became a university lecturer first at the University of West London and later at Oxford in the Department of Social Administration.[22]
His son, Jacob Edward "Jake" Sanders (born November 26, 1968), was elected to Oxford City Council in 2000 and was a Green Party parliamentary candidate in the Oxford East constituency at the 2005 general election.
Political career Edit
Sanders was active in the Labour Party in Oxford in the 1980s.[22] He left the party in 2001 because he felt that it had moved too far to the right under Tony Blair, and defected to the Green Party.[18]
First elected in 2005, Sanders was a Green Party county councillor representing the East Oxford division in the Oxfordshire County Council until he retired from the Council in 2013.[23][24] His main focuses in county politics were social and health care services. He resigned from the board of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust in October 2005 in a principled stand amid concerns that proposed cuts to services would leave vulnerable patients at greater risk.[citation needed]
He became Chairman of the Oxford Community School's Board of Governors in September 2009, following the resignation of the previous chairman, Chris Ballinger, and six other board members.[25] In December 2009, the Department for Children, Schools and Families approved Oxfordshire County Council's application to disband the Board of Governors and replace them with an interim executive board. On hearing the decision, Sanders said he was 'dreadfully disappointed'.[26]
In February 2016, Sanders was appointed Health Spokesperson of the Green Party of England and Wales. He served until May 2021.[27][28]
Sanders was elected as a pledged delegate for Bernie Sanders to the 2016 Democratic National Convention at the Democrats Abroad Global Convention in Berlin in May 2016. He tearfully spoke at the convention on July 26 of his intention to cast his vote for his brother.[29] He was the 7th-placed candidate for the Greens in the South East England constituency in the 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom.
Electoral history Edit
House of Commons Edit
Sanders was selected to contest the Oxford East constituency at the 2017 snap general election. He finished in fourth place with 1,785 votes (3.3%).[30]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Anneliese Dodds[33] | 35,118 | 65.2 | 15.2 | |
| Conservative | Suzanne Bartington[34] | 11,834 | 22.0 | 2.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Kirsten Johnson[35] | 4,904 | 9.1 | 1.7 | |
| Green | Larry Sanders[36] | 1,785 | 3.3 | 8.3 | |
| Independent | Chaka Artwell | 255 | 0.5 | 0.2 | |
| Majority | 23,284 | 43.2 | 13.1 | ||
| Turnout | 53,896 | 68.8 | 4.6 | ||
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing | 6.5 | |||
Sanders was selected as the Green Party candidate for the Witney by-election after Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation as an MP in September 2016.[37] He finished in fourth place with 1,363 votes (3.54%).[38]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Courts | 17,313 | 45.0 | 15.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Liz Leffman | 11,611 | 30.2 | 23.4 | |
| Labour | Duncan Enright | 5,765 | 15.0 | 2.2 | |
| Green | Larry Sanders | 1,363 | 3.5 | 1.6 | |
| UKIP | Dickie Bird | 1,354 | 3.5 | 5.7 | |
| NHA | Helen Salisbury | 433 | 1.1 | 0.0 | |
| Independent | Daniel Skidmore | 151 | 0.4 | New | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Mad Hatter | 129 | 0.3 | New | |
| Independent | Nicholas Ward | 93 | 0.2 | New | |
| Bus-Pass Elvis | David Bishop | 61 | 0.2 | New | |
| Eccentric Party | Lord Toby Jug | 59 | 0.2 | New | |
| English Democrat | Winston McKenzie | 52 | 0.1 | New | |
| One Love | Emilia Arno | 44 | 0.1 | New | |
| Independent | Adam Knight | 27 | 0.1 | New | |
| Majority | 5,702 | 14.8 | 28.2 | ||
| Turnout | 38,455 | 46.8 | 26.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 19.3 | |||
Sanders ran as a Green Party candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon at the 2015 UK general election and finished in fifth place, receiving 2,497 votes, 4.4% of the total.[21][40]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Nicola Blackwood | 26,153 | 45.7 | 3.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Layla Moran | 16,571 | 28.9 | 13.1 | |
| Labour | Sally Copley | 7,274 | 12.7 | 2.1 | |
| UKIP | Alan Harris | 3,963 | 6.9 | 4.2 | |
| Green | Larry Sanders | 2,497 | 4.4 | 2.3 | |
| NHA | Helen Salisbury | 723 | 1.3 | New | |
| Socialist (GB) | Mike Foster | 66 | 0.1 | New | |
| Majority | 9,582 | 16.7 | 16.4 | ||
| Turnout | 57,247 | 75.2 | 5.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | 8.2 | |||
Notes Edit
- ^ United States affiliation
References Edit
- ^ Sanders, Larry [@Sanders4Health] (April 29, 2021). "Today my 86th birthday (OMG). Term as Green Spokesperson Health and Social Care ends after local elections. We will continue our battle to restore a public NHS and create free Social Care/Support, controlled by disabled people and their families. #VoteGreen #KeepOurNHSPublic" (Tweet). Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Glenza, Jessica (October 12, 2015). "Bernie and Larry Sanders: candidate's brother crosses Atlantic to watch debate". The Guardian. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ "1940 United States Federal Census". NARA/Ancestry.com. April 2, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ a b Leibovich, Mark (January 21, 2007). "The Socialist Senator". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Theis, Paul Anthony; Henshaw, Edmund Lee, eds. (1991). Who's Who in American Politics. Vol. 2. Bowker. ISBN 978-0-8352-3012-4. Retrieved December 4, 2013 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kelly, Amita (April 29, 2015). "5 Things You Should Know About Bernie Sanders". NPR. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Stone, Kurt (2010). The Jews of Capitol Hill: A Compendium of Jewish Congressional Members. Scarecrow Press. p. 483.
- ^ Gaudiano, Nicole (April 28, 2015). . USA Today. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
- ^ van Zuylen-Wood, Simon (June 21, 2014). "I'm Right and Everybody Else Is Wrong. Clear About That?". National Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "Dorothy Glassberg". Geni.com. October 2, 1912. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ a b "Eli Sanders". Geni.com. September 12, 1904. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ Chana, Jas (August 20, 2015). "Straight Outta Brooklyn, by Way of Vermont: The Bernie Sanders Story". Tablet. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Bernie Sanders' ancestral town in Poland kvells over his Iowa performance". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 2, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ a b Smith, Nicola (January 17, 2016). "Bernie ropes in British brother for showdown with Clinton". Sunday Times (London). ProQuest 1757568267.
- ^ Stein, Ellin.Growing Up With The Bern, Slate, February 4, 2016. Accessed February 11, 2016.
- ^ Roberson, Dana (November 5, 2015). "Meet Larry Sanders, Bernie's Big Brother". The Takeaway. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ Kelley, Kevin J. "Larry Sanders on Stickball and Breaking Bread in Brooklyn".
- ^ a b Kelly, Kevin (May 27, 2015). "Bernie's Bro: Working-Class Brooklyn Roots Shaped My Brother". Seven Days. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ Sanchez, Rafe (April 30, 2015). "'I'm running for Parliament but my brother is running for President'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ "County councillor's brother elected to US Senate". The Oxford Times. Newsquest Media Group. November 8, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ a b Hansen, Lauren (May 8, 2015). "Bernie Sanders' brother lost his longshot bid for British Parliament". The Week. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Sanders brothers: A tale of two underdogs". BBC News. August 14, 2015.
- ^ "Election results for East Oxford". Oxfordshire County Council. June 4, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ "Green County Councillor Retires". Oxfordshire Green Party. June 8, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Bardsley, Francesca (October 2, 2009). "Fight for control at Oxford School". The Oxford Times. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ Bardsley, Fran (December 15, 2009). "Board ousting 'is a stitch-up'". The Oxford Times. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "Green Party reveals new team of spokespeople | The Green Party". www.greenparty.org.uk. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Stone, Jon (February 11, 2016). "Bernie Sanders' British brother Larry Sanders appointed UK Green Party's health spokesperson". Independent (newspaper). Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ^ Prokop, Andrew (July 26, 2016). "Bernie Sanders's brother gave a tearful tribute to Bernie and their parents at the DNC". VOX. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ "Larry Sanders pledges to tackle inequality if he becomes Oxford East MP". Oxford Mail. May 9, 2017.
- ^ "GENERAL ELECTION: List of Oxfordshire parliamentary candidates published". The Oxford Times. May 11, 2017.
- ^ "South Live: Thursday 11 May". BBC News. May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Parliamentary candidate announced to replace Labour's Andrew Smith". Oxford Mail. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ "Conservatives reveal Dr Suzanne Bartington as candidate for Oxford East". Oxford Mail. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "Dr Kirsten Johnson". Liberal Democrats.
- ^ "Larry Sanders pledges to tackle inequality if he becomes Oxford East MP". Oxford Mail. May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Tories select barrister for Cameron's Witney seat". BBC News. September 22, 2016.
- ^ Craig, Jon (October 21, 2016). "Conservatives hold Cameron's old seat in Witney by-election". Sky News. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Oliver, Matt (October 21, 2016). "AS IT HAPPENED: Witney by-election count and results". Witney Gazette. from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Collinson, Stephen (May 7, 2015). "Bernie Sanders' brotherly love". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ . Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
Sources Edit
- Oxfordshire County Council (July 2005). Who and How: Your guide to Oxfordshire County Council.
External links Edit
- Larry Sanders on Twitter
- An interview in 2006 with Larry Sanders by Saint Kermit the podcast April 8, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- Meet Larry Sanders, Bernie's Big Brother, The Takeaway
- Bernie Sanders brother gives glimpse into their childhood the real Bernie, Rolling Stone interview