Sir Edward Hamer Carbutt, 1st Baronet (22 July 1838 – 8 October 1905) was an English mechanical engineer who was President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Institution of Mechanical Engineers

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...

 and a 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.

Carbutt was the youngest son of Francis Carbutt (1792–1874), a linen and cloth merchant of Chapel Allerton in Leeds who was a J.P., Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1848/1849, and a director of the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway.

Edward Carbutt went into business as a mechanical engineer in Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

. When he was 24 (ca 1862) he entered into partnership with the engineer Robinson Thwaites

Robinson Thwaites

Robinson Thwaites was a nineteenth century mechanical engineer and mill-owner in Bradford, Yorkshire. His father, Thomas Thwaites, was a master plumber...

 (1811–1884) in the Vulcan Iron Works

Vulcan Iron Works

Since Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and smithery, the name was an obvious choice for an iron foundry or mechanical engineering works in the nineteenth century, both in England, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and in the United States.-England:...

 at Bradford. Carbutt and Thwaites exhibited a 'Patent Double-Action Self-Acting Steam Hammer' in the 1862 London Exhibition

1862 International Exhibition

The International of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses museums including the Natural History Museum and the Science...

. Carbutt and Thwaites petitioned for a further patent 'for the invention of improvements in hammers to be worked by steam or other fluid' in 1867.

He was a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Institution of Mechanical Engineers

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...

 and of the Institution of Civil Engineers

Institution of Civil Engineers

Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...

.

He entered local politics and was Mayor of Leeds in 1878 and as Mayor of Leeds laid the foundation stone of Leeds Civic buildings. In 1880 he was elected as MP

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 Monmouth Boroughs

Monmouth Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)

Monmouth Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency consisting of several towns in Monmouthshire...

 and held the seat until 1886. On 1 October 1892 he was made Baronet Carbutt of Nanhurst, Surrey. In 1896 he was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey

High Sheriff of Surrey

-List of High Sheriffs of Surrey:The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066 At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex -1066-1228:...

.

In 1887 Carbutt was elected President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He represented the IMechE on the committee of the National Physical Laboratory. He was also a vice-president of the Iron and Steel Institute. In 1891 he was concerned with the erection of a tower at Wembley to rival the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...

 in Paris.

In 1874 Carbutt married Mary Rhodes. However the baronetcy became extinct on his death.

External links