Death of Well-known Anglo-jewish Athlete

The Birmingham press to-day reports the death there yesterday at the age of 81 after a long illness, of Edward Lawrence Levy, at one time a famous athlete.

Born in London on December 21st., 1851, he was educated at the Jewish Orphanage at Norwood, where he later became a teacher. In 1870 he went to Birmingham as a teacher at the Hebrew National School, remaining in Birmingham for over 60 years, till his death. He afterwards became Principal of the Denbigh Lodge Collegiate School. In 1891, however, he retired from the scholastic profession, and for the remainder of his life he was chief agent for the Midland district to the National Trad Defence Association. He started the “Licensed Trade News” in 1892, remaining editor until his death. It was characteristic of his independence and broad-mindedness, the “Birmingham Post” writes, that, although associated so closely with the interests of the licensed trade, he did not hesitate to lecture for temperance organisations, and he was as ready to address Christian congregations as those of his own faith.

He was conductor of his synagogue choir, and was keenly interested in the stage and in music, taking an active part in the work of the Birmingham Festival Choral Society, and the Birmingham Grand Opera Society.

He took a keen interest also in politics, and was an original member of the Midland Conservative Club. He was, too, a prominent Freemason. He joined the Lodge of Israel in 1880, and had been Master of the Lodge and Provincial Grand Assistant Secretary. He published a history of the Lodge in 1916, and also wrote the histories of the Midland Conservative Club and the Birmingham Athletic Club. Another of his books was the “Autobiography of an Athlete”.

It was as an athlete that Mr. Levy was best known to the general public throughout the country. His all-round skill as a gymnast enabled him to win, and to hold for between twenty and thirty years, the championship of the Birmingham Athletic Club.

He took up weight lifting, and eventually secured recognition as the leading amateur strong man in the world.

He established many records, and in January, 1891, won the amateur championship of England for weight lifting, to which he added the international championship the following March.

He was a prominent member of the Amateur Athletic Association and founded the Amateur Gymnastic Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, of which he was secretary until it was disbanded in 1911. He was keenly interested in the Olympic Games, being a member of the international jury at the revival at Athens in 1896, and he was largely responsible for the management of the gymnastic section when the Games were held in London in 1908.