| AdminHistory | Michael Shapiro was born Mendel Shapiro in Ukraine in 1910, son of Alexander Chaim Shapiro and Rivkah Odel Shapiro. The family's date of arrival in the United Kingdom is likely to have been the 1900s or 1910s. There were other siblings, including a brother Jack - who features in one of the photographs in this collection.
Michael appears to have used the name Mendel until at least 1928. He attended Raine's School for Boys in Arbour Square, and the Shapiro family probably resided nearby at 21 Pattison Street. Michael studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science from 1928 to 1931, and joined the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1934; he remained a loyal member for the rest of his life. Between 1941 and 1949 Shapiro was secretary of the London District Committee of the Communist Party, and he was also secretary of the Party's Architects' Committee. He also found time to act as secretary of the Stepney Branch of the Party, and possibly worked as a lecturer in economics.
In addition to his party political work in the 1930s and 1940s, Michael Shapiro was a dedicated member of the Stepney Tenants' Defence League. His work for the League attracted favourable comment from the well-known east London clergyman Father Groser. Shapiro's community activisim and commitment led to his election with 800 votes as the member for St George's North-West Ward in the November 1945 local elections. He held his seat until May 1949, when he lost to Labour. While serving as a councillor Michael was a member of the Stepney Borough Housing Committee.
In 1950 Michael Shapiro was sent to China by the Communist Party. He became a long-term resident of Beijing. He was involved in training journalists in the Xinhua News Agency and worked with the teams that translated Chairman Mao's work. Although he spent five years in Qincheng Prison during the Cultural Revolution he remained committed to the communist cause and after his release he spent the rest of his life in China.
Michael Shapiro died in China on 29 September 1986. His first marriage to Eileen Murray had ended in divorce; he married a second time to Jing Hao. There were children from both marriages. |
| CustodialHistory | The papers were kept by and later donated by a member of the family to Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives in October 2024. |