Frederick William Grafton
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Grafton (1816 - 27 January 1890) was a British
industrialist and Liberal
politician.
He was the eldest son of Joseph Smith Grafton, a Manchester
merchant. Following a private education he obtained employment at a calico printing works. He subsequently established his own calico printing business, F.W. Grafton and Company, with premises in at Broad Oak Works, Accrington
and Manchester. He was a major employer in the area and was selected as a parliamentary candidate by the Liberal Party at the 1880 general election
. He was felt to represent the "commercial class" and was elected to represent North East Lancashire along with Lord Hartington.
When the North East Lancashire seat was split into four divisions by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
, Grafton was chosen to contest the new Accrington constituency
. Although elected as a Liberal, he voted against the government's First Home Rule Bill
and joined the Unionist
Party. The rejection of the bill led to the dissolution of parliament, and Grafton announced that he would not be standing due to ill health.
Grafton lived at Heysham Hall, Lancaster and Hope Hall, Manchester. He married Emily Sophia Howard in 1850. Frederick Grafton died at his London residence, 7 Kensington Palace Gardens
in January 1890, aged 74.
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...
industrialist 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.
He was the eldest son of Joseph Smith Grafton, a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
merchant. Following a private education he obtained employment at a calico printing works. He subsequently established his own calico printing business, F.W. Grafton and Company, with premises in at Broad Oak Works, Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
and Manchester. He was a major employer in the area and was selected as a parliamentary candidate by the Liberal Party at the 1880 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
. He was felt to represent the "commercial class" and was elected to represent North East Lancashire along with Lord Hartington.
When the North East Lancashire seat was split into four divisions by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
, Grafton was chosen to contest the new Accrington constituency
Accrington (UK Parliament constituency)
Accrington was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:...
. Although elected as a Liberal, he voted against the government's First Home Rule Bill
Irish Government Bill 1886
The Government of Ireland Bill 1886, commonly known as the First Home Rule Bill, was the first major attempt made by a British government to enact a law creating home rule for part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and joined the Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
Party. The rejection of the bill led to the dissolution of parliament, and Grafton announced that he would not be standing due to ill health.
Grafton lived at Heysham Hall, Lancaster and Hope Hall, Manchester. He married Emily Sophia Howard in 1850. Frederick Grafton died at his London residence, 7 Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens
Kensington Palace Gardens is a street in west central London which contains some of the grandest and most expensive houses in the world. It was the location of the London Cage, the British government MI9 centre used during the Second World War and the Cold War.A tree-lined avenue half a mile long...
in January 1890, aged 74.