Sir Max Muspratt, 1st Baronet (3 February 1872 – 20 April 1934) was a British

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and a politician in the city of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England.

Early life and education

He was born at Seaforth Hall, Seaforth,

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 ...

, the son of

Edmund Knowles Muspratt Edmund Knowles Muspratt (6 November 1833 – 1 September 1923) was an English chemical industrialist. Early life and background Edmund Knowles Muspratt was born in Seaforth, near Liverpool, England, the fourth and youngest son of James Muspra ...

and his wife Frances Jane Baines. He was one of eight children and a brother of

Suffragists Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Nessie Stewart-Brown Nessie Stewart-Brown JP (née Muspratt; 5 September 1864 – 7 April 1958) was a British suffragist and Liberal Party politician. Her name and picture is on the plinth of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square. Background Nessie M ...

and

Julia Solly Julia Frances Solly (née Muspratt; 21 December 1862 – 1953) was a British suffragist, feminist and temperance activist. After her marriage, she moved to South Africa, where she became one of the most recognisable feminists in the Cape Colony. ...

. He was an uncle of Nelia Penman, who served as President of the

Women's Liberal Federation The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of fi ...

. The Muspratt family were originally from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

but moved to Liverpool in 1822 when

James Muspratt James Muspratt (12 August 1793 – 4 May 1886) was a British chemical manufacturer who was the first to make alkali by the Leblanc process on a large scale in the United Kingdom. Early life James Muspratt was born in Dublin of English parent ...

, the father of Edmund, established a chemical factory in Vauxhall Road.Trevor I. Williams, (2004) 'Muspratt, James (1793–1886)’, ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

Retrieved on 9 March 2007. Muspratt was educated at a private school in

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...

and at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...

before studying industrial chemistry at

Zürich Polytechnic (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , a ...

United Alkali

Muspratt joined the

United Alkali Company United Alkali Company Limited was a British chemical company formed in 1890, employing the Leblanc process to produce soda ash for the glass, textile, soap, and paper industries. It became one of the top four British chemical companies merged in ...

in 1892 (the firm had been founded by his father), becoming a director in 1901 and its chairman from 1914. In 1926 the United Alkali Company merged with three other companies to form

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926. Its headquarters were at M ...

(ICI) and Muspratt was a director from its founding until his death in 1934. He was also a director of the International Automatic Telephone Company. He was a member of the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

from 1894, becoming its Vice–President from 1904 to 1906 and again from 1921 to 1924. From 1924 he was chairman of the Association of British Chemical Manufacturers and from 1926 to 1927 president of the

Federation of British Industries The Federation of British Industries (FBI) was an employers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by the Midlands industrialist Dudley Docker in 1916 as the United British Industries' Association, but renamed later that same year, it was ini ...

Political career

Muspratt was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and served on the

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor ...

from 1904. At the January 1910 general election he was returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

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 Liverpool Exchange, but was not re-elected at the December 1910 general election, and was defeated in the 1911 Bootle by-election. He left the Liberals for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

in 1926. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Muspratt served as

Lord Mayor of Liverpool The office of Lord Mayor of Liverpool has existed in one form or another since the foundation of Liverpool as a borough by the Royal Charter of King John in 1207, simply being referred to as the Mayor of Liverpool. The position is now a most ...

from 1916 to 1917. He advised the Ministry of Munitions about industrial chemical matters, particularly in the supply of sulphuric acid. and worked in the Trench Warfare Department.

Personal life

In 1896, Muspratt married Helena Agnes Dalrymple Ainsworth of

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

. They had two sons, one of whom died in childhood, and two daughters. His surviving son, Rudolph, pre–deceased him in 1929. Rudolph had fathered two twin boys who died in infancy. He was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1922, of Merseyside, Lancashire, in the 1922 Dissolution Honours. He died on 20 April 1934, the day after undergoing an operation for "internal trouble." The baronetcy became extinct on his death.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muspratt, Max People educated at Clifton College 1872 births 1934 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British chemists Imperial Chemical Industries people People from Bootle Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1910 Conservative Party (UK) politicians Businesspeople from Liverpool Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies Mayors of Liverpool Muspratt family Liberal Party (UK) councillors in Liverpool