William Withers

Sir William Withers (1657 – 31 January 1720) of Fulham, Middlesex was an English Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London. ^[1]

Family background

He was born in 1657, a descendant of Sir Thomas Wyther. Sir William Withers' father, a London fishmonger, was believed to be the first family member to spell the name Wyther as Withers.

Withers married Margaret Hayes, daughter of Thomas Hayes of Chertsey Abbey, Surrey. They had two children, William and Sarah.

Political background

Withers was knighted by William III on 20 October 1699. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and became Sheriff of London for 1701–02 and Lord Mayor of London for 1707–08.

He also represented London in the Parliament of England (1700–1701) and again in 1707, where he was challenged by his Whig opponent, Sir John Buckworth. Sir William won by a majority of 253 and filled the vacancy in the aftermath of the death of Sir Robert Clayton. He was also successful in the next three elections (1708, 1710 and 1713) but was thrown out due to the return to power by the Whigs in 1715.

Later life

He died on 31 January 1720 and is buried at All Saints Church, Fulham, London.

References

Civic offices
Preceded by Sir Robert Bedingfeld	Lord Mayor of London 1707–1708	Succeeded by Sir Charles Duncombe