George William Wood (21 July 1781 – 3 October 1843) was an English businessman, Member of Parliament and leading member of civil society in Manchester.
Life
George William Wood was born in Leeds, the son of William Wood, a Unitarian minister who was Joseph Priestley's successor at the Mill Hill Chapel, amateur botanist and campaigner against the Test Acts. His mother was Louisa Ann née Oates, the daughter of a wealthy Leeds family.
Wood moved to Manchester around 1801 and became a prominent businessman there but, as a memorial in the Upper Brook Street Chapel cited, "having early in life engaged in commercial pursuits ... he quitted [sic] the pursuits of wealth for the nobler objects of public usefulness." He was member of parliament for Lancashire South from 1832 to 1835, and for Kendal from 1837 until his death. He was a prime mover in the establishment of both the Royal Manchester Institution and the Manchester Mechanics' Institute, and was one of the two inaugural vice-presidents of the Manchester Athenaeum.
He died suddenly of a stroke at a meeting of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society and was buried at the Upper Brook Street Chapel.
Honours and offices
- Fellow of the Linnaean Society;
- Fellow of the Geological Society;
- Vice-president of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
References
- ^ Rayment, L. (2006). "The House of Commons Constituencies beginning with 'L'". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
- ^ Rayment, L. (2007). "The House of Commons Constituencies beginning with 'K'". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
- Wykes (2004)
- ^ Kargon (1977) p.19
- Kargon (1977) p.171
- The Times, 7 October 1843
Bibliography
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
- Kargon, R. H. (1977). Science in Victorian Manchester: Enterprise and Expertise. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-1969-5.
- Wykes, D. L. (2004) "Wood, William (1745–1808)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 16 August 2007 (subscription required)
External links
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for South Lancashire 1832 – 1835 With: Viscount Molyneux |
Succeeded byLord Francis Egerton Richard Bootle Wilbraham |
| Preceded byJohn Foster-Barham | Member of Parliament for Kendal 1837 – 1843 |
Succeeded byHenry Warburton |