William Soulsby
Encyclopedia
Sir William Jameson Soulsby KCVO
CB
CIE
(4 April 1851–13 February 1937) was an English
barrister
who served as Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor of London
for 55 years. The Times
referred to him as "in a sense, the permanent Lord Mayor."
Soulsby was the son of Matthew Soulsby, who worked at The Times
. He was educated at the City of London School
and gained his degree through evening classes at King's College, London. He was called to the bar by the Middle Temple
in 1874. He became a law reporter with The Times, but in 1875 was appointed Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor in succession to Sir Somers Vine. He continued to practise as a barrister and to write for The Times. He unwillingly retired from Mansion House
in 1931.
Soulsby was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1896 and Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1901, knighted
in 1902, and appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 1920 New Year Honours and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 1923 New Year Honours. On his golden jubilee
as private secretary in 1925 he was offered, but declined, a baronet
cy.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
(4 April 1851–13 February 1937) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
who served as Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
for 55 years. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
referred to him as "in a sense, the permanent Lord Mayor."
Soulsby was the son of Matthew Soulsby, who worked at The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. He was educated at the City of London School
City of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
and gained his degree through evening classes at King's College, London. He was called to the bar by the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1874. He became a law reporter with The Times, but in 1875 was appointed Private Secretary to the Lord Mayor in succession to Sir Somers Vine. He continued to practise as a barrister and to write for The Times. He unwillingly retired from Mansion House
Mansion House, London
Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...
in 1931.
Soulsby was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1896 and Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1901, knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1902, and appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 1920 New Year Honours and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 1923 New Year Honours. On his golden jubilee
Golden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
as private secretary in 1925 he was offered, but declined, a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy.