George Frederick Muntz (26 November 1794 – 30 July 1857) was an

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

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 ...

(MP) for the Birmingham constituency from 1840 until his death. His father Philip Frederic Muntz came to England from Poland (now Lithuania) shortly after the French revolution, and lived at Selby Hall, Worcestershire. Philip Muntz established himself as a merchant and manufacturer in Birmingham, with the company, Muntz & Purden, specialising in steel toys. He married Catherine, daughter of his business partner Robert Purden, of Radford. George's younger brother, Philip Henry Muntz (1811 – 1888), J.P., M.P. for Birmingham, was the first head of the Muntz family of Edstone Hall, Warwickshire. As an industrialist, George Frederic Muntz developed

Muntz Metal Muntz metal (also known as yellow metal) is an alpha-beta brass alloy composed of approximately 60% copper, 40% zinc and a trace of iron. It is named after George Fredrick Muntz, a metal-roller of Birmingham, England, who commercialised the a ...

. This was a brass alloy intended to replace the copper that was then used to prevent fouling on ocean-going ships. Muntz was a supporter of political reform and a member of the Birmingham Political Union. In his actions that led to the

Reform Act In the United Kingdom, Reform Act is most commonly used for legislation passed in the 19th century and early 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

of 1832, he was indicted for sedition as he tried to undermine the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

with a run on gold: ''To stop the Duke, run for gold''. He also was involved in a riot at Saint Martins in Birmingham in protest against the Church Rates which were levied at around 6d to 9d in the pound. He was sent to trial in 1838, but was acquitted on all but one of 13 charges. Whilst claiming to be a republican, his true character appeared to be that of an egotistical aristocrat. Edwards wrote in 1877 of a conversation about a speech he made:

"They won't be able to print Muntz's speech verbatim." "Why not?" said I. "Why my dear fellow, no printing office in the world would have capital I's enough".

His home was at

Umberslade Hall Umberslade Hall is a 17th-century mansion converted into residential apartments situated in Nuthurst near Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire. It is a Grade II* listed building. The Archer family were granted the manor of Umberslade by Henry II ...

, in Tanworth in Arden. In the grounds of his estate, Muntz's son commissioned a church to be built which stands to this day, Umberslade Baptist Church. His descendants still live in the area and operate Umberslade Hall Children's Farm. He had seven sons and two daughters. The family business was continued by the eldest son, George Frederick junior together with Philip Albert Muntz, also a Member of Parliament who was created a Baronet in 1902 (see Muntz Baronets). George's brother, Philip Henry Muntz, was also an MP. One son, William Henry Muntz, designed a new type of paddle wheel.
The Muntz family are remembered by

Muntz Street Muntz Street is the popular name of a former association football stadium situated in the Small Heath district of Birmingham, England, taken from the street on which it stood. During its lifetime the ground was known as Coventry Road; the name "M ...

, a tower block called Muntz House and Muntz Park, all in Birmingham.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muntz, George 1794 births 1857 deaths People from Birmingham, West Midlands People from Tanworth-in-Arden Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 19th-century English businesspeople