Lionel Ernest Harrison
Mayor of Oxford 1961/2
Lionel Ernest Harrison (c.1905–1988) was born in Birmingham, the son of Ernest Harrison (born in Leeds in c.1873) and Emily Louisa (born in Frome in c.1872).
At the time of the 1911 census, Lionel was five years old, living with his parents and his older brother John William (10) at 85 Bullingdon Road, Oxford. Lionel's father was then a hairdresser, and his mother a dressmaker.
Lionel Harrison took over his father’s hairdressing business, and for forty years from 1922 until his retirement in 1966 he ran his salon at Barrett Buildings, 38 Queen Street (on the north side near Carfax) as well as other family businesses. In 1930 he married his wife Violet, and at first they lived over the shop at Queen Street. They had three children.
Harrison was Conservative councillor for East Oxford from 1949 and later an Alderman. He retired from the council in 1964 after the reorganization of local government.
He was elected as the last Mayor of Oxford (for 1961/2) – all subsequent holders of the office were to be Lord Mayors. During his mayoral year he went with the Oxford solicitor E. A. Ferguson on a 1,900 mile trip from Oxford to Moscow in a specially converted Mini to promote the success of Morris Motors. The car had a special 50 gallon tank, and the whole journey was completed without refuelling.
Harrison retired to Langley Close in Headington, and died in April 1988. His daughter Penny and then her daughter Justine both carried on the family hairdressing tradition.
See also:
- Oxford Times, 7 November 1975, p. 3 (article about his and his wife’s retirement from the Committee of the East Oxford Conservative Association, including photograph)
- Oxford Times, 29 April 1988, p. 3 (obituary)