Edward Roffe Thompson, who wrote as E.T. Raymond or Edward Raymond Thompson, (27 December 1891 – 13 October 1973) was an English author and journalist. He was the editor of John Bull magazine and wrote a number of biographies of British political figures and celebrities. He wrote an early self-help book, The Human Machine: Secrets of Success (1925).

Early life

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Edward Thompson was born in Settle, Yorkshire, on 27 December 1891, the son of Edward Charles Thompson, a foreman store keeper.[1] He received his higher education at the Victoria University of Manchester.[2]

He married Caroline Alice (C. A.) Lejeune (1897–1973), a film reviewer for The Observer, in Chelsea in 1925[3] and they settled in Pinner Hill in Middlesex where they built a house on open fields. They had a son, the writer and broadcaster Anthony Lejeune (1928–2018).[4] Edward was usually known as Roffe rather than Edward in private life.[5]

Career

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Thompson wrote for and was the editor of John Bull magazine in succession to Horatio Bottomley.[2][6] He produced a number of biographies of British political figures and celebrities, and an early self-help book, The Human Machine: Secrets of Success (1925).

Death

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Thompson died in Harrow, Middlesex, on 13 October 1973.[1] His residence at the time of his death was Lane End, Hillside Road, Pinner. He left an estate of £32,735.[7]

Selected publications

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  • Uncensored Celebrities. T. Fisher Unwin, London, 1918.
  • All & Sundry. T. Fisher Unwin, London, 1919.
  • Mr Balfour: A Biography. Collins, London, 1920.
  • Portraits of the Nineties. T. Fisher Unwin, London, 1921.
  • Mr. Lloyd George: A Biography. W. Collins, 1922.
  • The Man of Promise: Lord Rosebery: A Critical Study. London, c. 1923.
  • Disraeli: The Alien Patriot. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1925.
  • The Human Machine: Secrets of Success. Mills & Boon, London, 1925.
  • Portraits of the New Century: (The first ten years). Ernest Benn, London, 1928.
  • Life's Secrets. The Human Machine. Second Series. Peppercorn Press, London, 1931.

References

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  1. ^ a b Edward Roffe Thompson England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007. Family Search. Retrieved 20 April 2018. (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b McCracken, Donal P. "Broadcasting to the 'last outpost of the British Empire': Anthony Lejeune, the man behind the SABC's English Service London Letter (1965–1995)" in Ruth Teer-Tomaselli & Donal P. McCracken (Eds.) (2016). Media and the Empire. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 33–47. ISBN 978-1-317-29149-7.
  3. ^ Caroline A Lejeune England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005. Family Search. Retrieved 20 April 2018. (subscription required)
  4. ^ "Anthony Lejeune". The Times. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2019. (subscription required)
  5. ^ Lejeune, C. A. (1971) Thank You for Having Me. London: Tom Stacey; p. 114
  6. ^ St John, Ian. (2016). The Historiography of Gladstone and Disraeli. London: Anthem Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-78308-530-9.
  7. ^ 1973 Probate Calendar. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
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