Edward Ryley (or Riley) Langworthy (1797 - 7 April 1874) was a British businessman and an independent but Whig-leaning politician. Langworthy was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of a

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

merchant. After spending some years in South and Central America, he moved to

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

in 1840 to establish a

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

business with his brother, George. Langworthy Brothers and Company was established at Greengate Mills. When Salford was incorporated as a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

in 1844, Langworthy was elected as the first

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

for Trinity

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. He was the borough's fifth

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

, elected for two consecutive terms from 1848 to 1850. His term as mayor saw the establishment of the free public museum and library at Peel ParkEdward Morris, ''Public Art Collections in North-West England'', Liverpool, 2001 In January 1857, Salford's Whig

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Joseph Brotherton Joseph Brotherton (22 May 1783 – 7 January 1857) was a reforming British politician, Nonconformist minister and pioneering vegetarian. He has been described as the first vegetarian member of parliament. Biography He was born in Whittington ...

, died. Langworthy was selected as the party's candidate for the vacancy, and as the only nominee, was elected unopposed on 2 February. Following his election he gave a speech outlining his political views: he supported the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

and civil and religious freedom, the reform of parliament, strengthened

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

, but opposed any increase in the size of the country's armed forces.''Election Intelligence, Salford'', 3 February 1857, p. 12 He was only Salford's MP for a matter of months, as he did not stand at the subsequent general election later in the year. Langworthy retained his connection with Salford Corporation, and on his death in 1874 left £10,000 to the museum and library he had helped establish. Langworthy Road, constructed shortly after his death, was named in his memory by Salford Borough Council.

References

External links

* 1797 births 1874 deaths Independent members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1852–1857 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Salford Mayors of Salford {{England-mayor-stub