{{Short description|British politician (1890–1978)}} thumb|right|Leonard Behrens Sir '''Leonard Frederick Behrens''' CBE (15 October 1890 – 12 March 1978)<ref name="WW">{{Who's Who | title=BEHRENS, Sir Leonard | id = U152190 | type = was | volume = 2022 | edition = online}}</ref> was a British Liberal Party politician and public figure.
Born in Manchester, Behrens studied at Manchester Grammar School, Rugby School and Manchester University.<ref name="WW"/> He was active in the family business and with the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. During World War I, he worked for the Serbian Relief Fund in Thessaloniki, and was awarded the Order of St Sava. Back in Britain, he became President of the Manchester Liberal Federation, and was an official of a large number of local bodies, including the Manchester Statistical Society, the Design and Industries Association, the Royal Manchester College of Music, the Hallé Concert Society and the University of Manchester. He also served as a JP.<ref name="obit">"Sir Leonard Behrens: ex-Liberal president", ''The Guardian'', 15 March 1978</ref>
He stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate in Manchester Withington at the 1945 and 1950 general elections.
Behrens was a keen supporter of the League of Nations Union, and later the United Nations Association, becoming vice-president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. From 1955 to 1957, he served as President of the Liberal Party,<ref name="obit" /> and from 1959 to 1961 he was the party's Chair.<ref>"Liberal Executive", ''The Guardian'', 16 June 1959</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/manchesteruniversity/data/gb133-beh Leonard Behrens papers] at the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester.
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{succession box|title=President of the Liberal Party|years=1955–1957 |before=Philip Rea|after = Nathaniel Micklem}} {{succession box|title=Chairman of the Liberal Party|years=1959–1961 |before=Deryck Abel|after = Desmond Banks}} {{s-npo|pro}} {{s-bef|before= R. C. Reynolds }} {{s-ttl|title=President of the Manchester Statistical Society |years=1942–44}} {{s-aft|after= Sir John Hicks }} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Behrens, Leonard}} Category:1890 births Category:1978 deaths Category:Chairs of the Liberal Party (UK) Category:Presidents of the Liberal Party (UK) Category:Politicians from Manchester Category:People educated at Rugby School Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Sava Category:Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Category:Jewish British politicians Category:People educated at Manchester Grammar School Category:Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire