SEGAL, SAMUEL, BARON

SEGAL, SAMUEL, BARON (1902–1985), British politician and physician. Segal, the son of Prof. M.H. *Segal, was born in London. He qualified as a physician and served from 1939 to 1945 in the Royal Air Force medical service with the rank of squadron leader and subsequently (1951–62) as a regional medical officer of the Ministry of Health. After unsuccessfully contesting parliamentary elections for the Labour Party before World War ii, he was elected Labour member of Parliament for Preston in 1945 and served in Parliament till 1950.

In 1964 he was created a life peer and took an active part in discussions in the House of Lords, serving on many parliamentary delegations, and becoming in 1973 a deputy speaker and deputy chairman of committees of the House of Lords (of which the Lord Chancellor is ex officio Speaker). His services to Anglo-Israeli relations were many and varied, including chairmanship of the Anglo-Israel Association and presidency of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Association. With a home near Oxford, he was identified with the preservation of Oxford's amenities, received the honor of Honorary Fellowship of Jesus College, Oxford, and served as honorary president of the Oxford Jewish congregation. His medical interests were reflected in his chairmanship of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and of the British Association for the Retarded. Though an active politician, his scholarly and courteous approach gained him a reputation as a statesmanlike expert of Middle Eastern and medical subjects.

bibliography:

Who's Who (1978); Jewish Year Book.

[Vivian David Lipman]