George Goodman (politician)
The Right Honourable Sir George Goodman | |
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Sir George Goodman, Mayor of Leeds | |
Member of Parliament | |
In office 1852–1857 | |
Monarch | Victoria |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1792 |
Died |
13 October 1859 (aged 67) Roundhay, England |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Whig |
Sir George Goodman (c. 1792 – 13 October 1859)[1] was an English wool-stapler,[2] a magistrate for the borough and county of Leeds,[3] as well as a Liberal politician. On 1 January 1836, he was elected the first Mayor of Leeds after the Municipal Corporations Act 1835,[2] and he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds from 1852 to 1857.[1]
Early years
Goodman was the son of Benjamin Goodman (d. 10 June 1848), a Leeds wool merchant. He had at least one sibling, a sister Eleanor (1791–1877).
Career
Goodman started his career learning his father's business and becoming a partner in his father's firm of B. Goodman & Sons at 21 Hunslet Lane, Leeds.[5] He prospered as a wool-stapler in Leeds and Bradford,[2] and was a Director of the Leeds and Bradford Railway.[6] His firm acquired other local firms including, in 1846, Thomas Pearson and Sons, manufacturers of worsted.[7]
He was elected Mayor of Leeds on 1 January 1836, the first Mayor of the City of Leeds after the Municipal Corporations Act. In April, he was presented a gold chain with an inscribed pendant to honour his mayoral election. Following the resignation of C. G. Maclea, Goodman was again elected mayor on 1 January 1847 and left office on 9 November 1847. He was re-elected for a third term on 9 November 1850, and a fourth term on 9 November 1851. He resigned from his position as mayor in March 1852 in order to be eligible to run for Parliament.[2]
A Whig,[8] Goodman was elected to Parliament with Matthew Talbot Baines in 1852. He was a magistrate of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and appointed a deputy lieutenant on 27 January 1853.[9][10] In 1853, Goodman served as Leeds' civic representative at the 1851 The Great Exhibition, after which, on 26 February 1852, he was knighted at Buckingham Palace, shortly before his resignation as mayor.[11][2] Goodman sat for the Borough of Leeds in the House of Commons for five years, beginning at the 1852 general election,[12] before retiring upon the 1857 dissolution of Parliament because of poor health brought about by a stroke of paralysis and neuralgia.[8][13]
Personal life
Goodman was a member of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. He once made a donation to the society of fourteen birds from Australia.[14] Goodman never married. The Gentleman's Magazine reported that he died on 13 October 1859 at his seat, Roundhay, near Leeds aged 67.[15] He inherited his father Benjamin's Roundhay estate which was renamed Beechwood by Francis Lupton who had purchased the estate by 1860, following George's death.[16] Goodman, a Baptist, was interred at Whitkirk Church.[17] In compliance with Goodman's request, an autopsy was conducted, revealing softened spinal marrow.[4]
References
- 1 2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wheater, William; Smith, William (1882). Old Yorkshire. 3 (Digitized 5 June 2007 ed.). Longmans, Green. p. 203.
- ↑ Leeds man, pp. 61
- 1 2 Brewer, Rev. Dr. E. Cogham (1860). Memoir of Sir George Goodman, Knt., Leeds. The Baptist Magazine (Digitized 16 October 2006 ed.). p. 29.
- ↑ Garton, Steve (27 March 2010). "Transcript of the entry of "professions and trades" for LEEDS in Pigot's Directory of 1834". genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
- ↑ The Railway directory for 1845, containing the names of the directors and principal officers, of the railways in Great Britain & Ireland (Digitized 12 October 2007 ed.). London: Railway Times Office. 1844. p. 39.
- ↑ "No. 20657". The London Gazette. 6 November 1846. p. 3895.
- 1 2 Leeds man (1868). Memoirs of eminent men of Leeds (Digitized 2 September 2005 ed.). G.J. Berger. p. 60.
- ↑ "No. 21411". The London Gazette. 15 February 1853. p. 408.
- ↑ Dod, Charles Roger (1857). The Peerage, baronetage, and knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, for ...: including all the titled classes (Digitized 4 May 2009 ed.). Whittaker and Co. p. 275.
- ↑ "No. 21298". The London Gazette. 5 March 1852. p. 698.
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 177. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ↑ Taylor, p. 478
- ↑ Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society (1820). Report of the council (Digitized 5 April 2007 ed.). The Society. p. 22.
- ↑ "Obituary - Death of Sir George Goodman". The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 207. R. Newton. 13 October 1859. p. 546. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ↑ Hurworth, Neville (2014). "The Goodman family of Hunslet, Gledhow and Roundhay" (PDF). OAKWOOD AND DISTRICT AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Oakleaves, Part 14. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ↑ The Yorkshire magazine: a monthly literary magazine. 3–4 (Digitized 20 July 2009 ed.). Yorkshire Literary Union. 1874. p. 137.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir George Goodman
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by William Beckett James Garth Marshall |
Member of Parliament for Leeds 1852 – 1857 With: Matthew Talbot Baines |
Succeeded by Robert Hall Matthew Talbot Baines |