Constituency : Shrewsbury 1923-4
Joseph took Shrewsbury from the Tories at the second attempt in a straight contest.
Joseph was originally Josef Schimslavitch from Novgorod. His father was a Jewish cotton merchant who came to England in 1890 to avoid conscription. They anglicised their surname. Joseph enjoyed recounting his family's adventures in Tsarist Russia but their veracity is questionable. He started out as an architect's apprentice but soon had his own practice in Manchester. He was responsible for much of the expansion of Prestwich. In 1913, he built the South Manchester Synagogue. He came fairly close in 1922 in a straight contest
Joseph introduced a brick standardisation bill in 1924. Most of his parliamentary questions related to the building trade.
Joseph was defeated in 1924, the Tory's margin of victory being much greater than the Labour vote. In 1929, Labour's presence probably did deny him victory.
In 1932, Joseph built Sunlight House in Manchester. After the war his plans for a huge skyscraper adjacent to it were rejected by the city council.
Joseph was keen on horse racing and champagne parties. He befriended film stars such as Douglas Fairbanks and Gertrude Lawrence.
He died in 1978 aged 89.
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