Fisher, Samuel, Baron Fisher of Camden
FISHER, SAMUEL, BARON FISHER OF CAMDEN
FISHER, SAMUEL, BARON FISHER OF CAMDEN (1905–1979), English communal worker. Samuel Fisher was born in London and from his youth was active both in Jewish communal affairs and in local politics. In 1953 he was elected mayor of the Borough of Stoke Newington, the first Jew to hold the office, and in 1965 of the newly created borough of Camden. His many public offices included chairmanship of the Metropolitan Water Board and of the Association of Labor Mayors. In the Jewish community he was one of the leading figures of the Jewish Friendly Society Movement, and in 1973–79 served as president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. He was created a life peer in 1974 as Baron Fisher of Camden.
Fisher was an outstanding example of the new generation of Jewish communal leaders, whose roots were in the East End of London and who rose to the pinnacle of Jewish communal leadership without the advantage of birth or wealth but by hard work and a genuine concern for their fellows.
[Michael Wallach]