Christopher Furness
Encyclopedia
Christopher Furness, 1st Baron Furness (23 April 1852 – 10 November 1912) was a British
businessman and Liberal
politician.
, Co. Durham. He started his career as a buyer in Thomas Furness and Company, wholesale provision merchants, a firm owned by his older brother Thomas, and became a partner two years later. Stock for the business had to be brought in by ship, and Christopher found that it would be cheaper to use their own vessels, rather than hire other peoples. Consequently, on his initiative, the firm bought several steam ships from local shipbuilder William Gray in 1877. In 1882 Christopher Furness and Company was formed and the business was split into two. Thomas kept the provision merchants, while Christopher took charge of the shipping fleet. After seven years as a partner in the shipbuilding firm of Edward Withy and Company, Furness merged it with his own company in 1891, to form Furness, Withy and Company
. By a series of mergers, his firms become the main employers in Hartlepool, until they finally closed in the 1980s.
Furness was also involved in politics, and was elected Member of Parliament
for The Hartlepools at a by-election in 1891. He lost the seat in 1895
, but was re-elected in 1900 general election
, and served until his re-election in January 1910 was declared void after an electoral petition. He was knight
ed in 1895 and in 1910 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Furness, of Grantley in the West Riding of the County of Yorkshire. Moreover, in 1909 he was made an Honorary Freeman of West Hartlepool.
In 1876 Furness married Jane Annette Suggit. They had one son, Marmaduke
, born in 1883. Christopher Furness died on 10 November 1912, aged 60. He was succeeded in the barony by his son Marmaduke, who in 1918 was created Viscount Furness.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Biography
Furness was born in West HartlepoolWest Hartlepool
This article refers to the place; for the Rugby Football Club see West Hartlepool R.F.C.West Hartlepool refers to the western part of the what has since the 1960s been known as the borough of Hartlepool in North East England...
, Co. Durham. He started his career as a buyer in Thomas Furness and Company, wholesale provision merchants, a firm owned by his older brother Thomas, and became a partner two years later. Stock for the business had to be brought in by ship, and Christopher found that it would be cheaper to use their own vessels, rather than hire other peoples. Consequently, on his initiative, the firm bought several steam ships from local shipbuilder William Gray in 1877. In 1882 Christopher Furness and Company was formed and the business was split into two. Thomas kept the provision merchants, while Christopher took charge of the shipping fleet. After seven years as a partner in the shipbuilding firm of Edward Withy and Company, Furness merged it with his own company in 1891, to form Furness, Withy and Company
Furness Withy
Furness Withy was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The Company was founded by Christopher Furness and Henry Withy in 1891 in Hartlepool. This was achieved by the amalgamation of the Furness Line of steamers with the business of Edward Withy and...
. By a series of mergers, his firms become the main employers in Hartlepool, until they finally closed in the 1980s.
Furness was also involved in politics, and was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for The Hartlepools at a by-election in 1891. He lost the seat in 1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
, but was re-elected in 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, and served until his re-election in January 1910 was declared void after an electoral petition. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1895 and in 1910 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Furness, of Grantley in the West Riding of the County of Yorkshire. Moreover, in 1909 he was made an Honorary Freeman of West Hartlepool.
In 1876 Furness married Jane Annette Suggit. They had one son, Marmaduke
Marmaduke Furness, 1st Viscount Furness
Marmaduke Furness, 1st Viscount Furness , known as The Lord Furness between 1912 and 1918, was a British businessman....
, born in 1883. Christopher Furness died on 10 November 1912, aged 60. He was succeeded in the barony by his son Marmaduke, who in 1918 was created Viscount Furness.