Sir John Thwaites (24 May 1815 – 8 August 1870) was a British politician who was the first Chairman of the

Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London Cou ...

and therefore the first Leader of local government in London.

Background

Thwaites was a native of Maulds Meaburn,

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

where his father was a farmer. He attended Reagill School. As the third son he was not expected to follow in his father's stead, and went to London in 1832 to work for Henry Bardwell, a woollen

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, ...

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its root ...

Hill; in 1835, he became a partner in the business, which had a base on

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...

. In 1842, he left to establish his own company at 18 Blackman Street in The Borough; it later moved to 61-2 Borough High Street.

Municipal work

His religion led Thwaites into municipal affairs. He was a

Strict Baptist Reformed Baptists (sometimes known as Particular Baptists or Calvinistic Baptists) are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology (salvation). The first Calvinist Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith w ...

and preached at several locations including the Surrey Tabernacle (where he was Deacon for sixteen years), St Mary's Newington Butts, St Paul's

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

and St Saviour; this led to opportunities to be a churchwarden and Guardian of the Poor. He became known for his work with the local community and was Chairman of the Guardians. Thwaites also acted to support local business: when he discovered there was a monopoly on the supply of gas in Southwark, Thwaites set up the Surrey Gas Consumers company in 1849, a mutual association of businesses, to get alternative and much cheaper supplies. He was made a member of more than one

Vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

, which handled local government for the parish, and was also delegated to the

Metropolitan Commission of Sewers The Metropolitan Commission of Sewers was one of London's first steps towards bringing its sewer and drainage infrastructure under the control of a single public body. It was absorbed by the Metropolitan Board of Works on 1 January 1856. Format ...

from Southwark. He knew the problem of sewerage (the most pressing problem in London) well enough to write a well-received and knowledgeable pamphlet about it. Politically, Thwaites supported Parliamentary Reform and the

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 ...

, especially Apsley Pellatt who was Liberal MP for Southwark. He also supported the early closing movement which campaigned to allow shopworkers more time off work.

On the MBW

In 1855 the

was established to co-ordinate work throughout London, to be composed of delegates from the Vestries. Thwaites was selected by two different Vestries to be their delegate, and his involvement across London and on the Commission of Sewers led to his election by the Board to be their Chairman on 22 December 1855. Thwaites therefore became responsible for the wholescale construction of a sewerage system, as well as street works and other infrastructure. He was fortunate in obtaining the services of

Sir Joseph Bazalgette ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, formerly Deputy Chief Engineer to the Commission of Sewers, as the Board's Chief Engineer. Thwaites persuaded the Government to give responsibility for the construction of the

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...

, which was part of the new drainage, to the Metropolitan Board. A Royal Commission had recommended a special body of commissioners take responsibility. The embankment was held up by delays in the construction of the

Metropolitan District Railway The Metropolitan District Railway, also known as the District Railway, was a passenger railway that served London from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete an " inner circle" of lines connecting railway termini in London, the first par ...

, and eventually Thwaites went ahead without it; the railway was put in later.

Honours and death

When the main drainage was complete in 1865, Thwaites was knighted. The Victoria Embankment was finally completed and opened in July 1870, a few weeks before Thwaites' death. His illness was caused partly by overwork which contributed to his problems from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, but ironically, in view of his work on building London's sewerage system, Thwaites died of cholera at his

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

home. He was followed in the job of chairman by James Macnaghten Hogg MP. As a Leader, Thwaites was respected but regarded as somewhat formal. He was nicknamed ''The Stiff'un'' by the Board's staff. He tried to keep involved in all aspects of the Board and insisted that those who were too infirm or too old should retire. He was described as having "a stony gaze and a sepulchral voice".

References

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

9 August 1870 p 5 - brief biographical details. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thwaites, John 1815 births 1870 deaths Liberal Party (UK) councillors Members of the Metropolitan Board of Works Knights Bachelor