'''Anne Hallowell Sofer''' (born 19 April 1937) is a former British politician.
The daughter of Geoffrey Crowther,<ref name="bat">{{cite news |last1=Watkins |first1=Alan |title=Dr Owen takes his bat home |work=The Observer |date=5 July 1987}}</ref> Sofer was educated at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and then at Somerville College, Oxford. In 1972, she became the secretary of the National Association of Governors and Managers. She stood for the Labour Party in St Pancras North at the 1977 Greater London Council election, winning the seat.<ref name="whoswho">{{cite book |title=The World Who's Who of Women |date=1992 |publisher=Melrose Press}}</ref> In 1981, she resigned from the Labour Party and joined the new Social Democratic Party (SDP). She resigned from the council, then stood in a by-election under her new party label, retaining the seat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Livingstone faces a testing time |work=The Guardian |date=28 October 1981}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Carvel |first1=John |title=Alliance bandwagon rolls on as SDP wins GLC seat |work=The Guardian |date=30 October 1981}}</ref>
In 1982, Sofer was elected to the executive of the SDP. She stood in Hampstead and Highgate at the 1983 and 1987 UK general elections, taking third place on each occasion.<ref name="whoswho" /> The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, following which Sofer stood in Hampstead and Highgate at the 1986 Inner London Education Authority election, but was defeated.<ref>{{cite news |title=Landslide keeps Ilea Labour |work=The Guardian |date=10 May 1986}}</ref> She later supported the merger of the SDP into the new Liberal Democrats.<ref name="bat" />
Sofer also served as a director of Channel 4 from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, she became a columnist with ''The Times''.<ref name="whoswho" /> From 1989 until 1997, she served as the chief education officer of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Following her retirement, she founded the London Accord, which aimed to get businesses involved in the most disadvantaged schools, and also served on the Hackney Improvement Team.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cox |first1=Theo |title=Combating Educational Disadvantage |date=2002 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781135707095}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{start box}} {{s-par}} {{succession box|title=Member of the Greater London Council for St Pancras North|years=1977–1986|before=Rose Hacker|after=''Council abolished''}} {{end box}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sofer, Anne}} Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Greater London Council Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors Category:Social Democratic Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Category:Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford