OBITUARY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 12, 15 January 1932, Page 5

OBITUARY

SIR HENRY COWAN A NOTED IMPERIALIST LONDON, Jan. 11. The death has occurred of Sir Henry Cowan, formerly a member of the House of Commons. The late Sir Henry Cowan was a membei of the Empire Parliamentary Party which visited Australia in 1926. some of the delegates coming on tc New Zealand. He had previously visited the Dominion about 1900 and on various occasions earlier still had travelled in most parts of the Empire. With his experience it was natural that he should have taken a deep interest in Imperial affairs. He was vice-chair-man of the Empire Development Committee in the House of Commons. That committee was superseded by another similar one. Sir Henry was connected with the child immigration movement as carried on under the Fairbridge scheme in Western Australia. He was one of the delegates selected to visit Australia and New Zealand with the first Parliamentary Party in 1913, but owing to the requirements of his constituency he was unable to come. Sir Henry was a supporter of the Conservative Party and a business man and chairman of an important business firm. He was an Edinburgh man, and was for many years a Liberal, but during the term of the Coalition Government he became a Conservative, and was elected to represent the North Islington Division in the interest of that party. Prior to that he had sat for 12 years as a Liberal for East Aberdeenshire. He was very little heard of in the Conservative Party. Lady Cowan was one of the organisers many years ago of the British Women’s Patriotic League which has done most useful work—and they were both concerned with child welfare movements.