John Sharp Higham (14 June 1857 – 5 January 1932) was a British
Liberal Party
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politician and cotton manufacturer.
Background
A son of Eli Higham, a cotton manufacturer from
Accrington. He was educated privately. He married in 1899, Pollie Hartley, daughter of
William Pickles Hartley of
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
. They had three sons and one daughter.
Career
He was
Chairman of his father-in-law's business,
W. P. Hartley Ltd, jam manufacturers. He was also Chairman of his family cotton manufacturing business, Highams Ltd of Accrington,
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He served on Accrington Town Council. He was
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 ...
of Accrington from 1899 to 1901. He was a member of
Lancashire County Council for twelve years. He was a
Justice of the Peace in Accrington. He was Liberal MP for the
Sowerby Division of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
from 1904 to 1918. He was elected at the first time of asking in 1904, holding the Liberal seat at a by-election;
In parliament, he was an advanced radical in favour of
Church Disestablishment,
Irish Home Rule
The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...
and
the
Nationalization of the Railways.
At the General Election of December 1910, he was re-elected unopposed.
He was a Member of the
Land Values Group which favoured rating reform. He defended his seat at the General Election of 1918, the 'coupon' election; he stood as a Liberal but when offered endorsement from the Coalition Government, rejected it. As a result, he finished third;
After the war he served as President of Southport Liberal Association. He was Treasurer of Lancashire and Cheshire
Band of Hope
Hope UK is a United Kingdom Christian charity based in London, England which educates children and young people about drug and alcohol abuse. Local meetings started in 1847 and a formal organisation was established in 1855 with the name The Uni ...
and
Temperance Union. He was
President
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Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the United Kingdom Commercial Travellers’ Association from 1926 to 1927.
[Who Was Who]
Sources
*Who Was Who
*British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, Craig, F. W. S.
References
External links
*Who Was Who; http://www.ukwhoswho.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higham, John Sharp
1857 births
1932 deaths
English justices of the peace
Members of Lancashire County Council
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1900–1906
UK MPs 1906–1910
UK MPs 1910
UK MPs 1910–1918