Mark Philips (4 November 1800 – 23 December 1873) was an English Liberal Party politician, and one of the first pair of Members of Parliament for Manchester after the Great Reform Act.

Early life and family

Mark Philips was born at Philips Park, Whitefield, Lancashire, the son of Robert Philips, a prosperous

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and Anne Needham. He was educated at the Manchester Academy while it was in York and then at the University of Glasgow. His younger brother, Robert Needham Philips, was MP for Bury and other members of his extended family were also elected to the House of Commons; all of them, as with Mark, supported the ideals of Manchesterism. He has been described as a "radical entrepreneur" and campaigned in favour of causes promoting non-sectarianism before entering the House of Commons.

Member of Parliament

The town of Manchester was deprived of its parliamentary representation in 1660 in reprisal for its support of the Parliamentarian faction during the English Civil War. Representation was only restored following the Great Reform Act of 1832. Philips and

Charles Poulett Thomson Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham, (13 September 1799 – 19 September 1841) was a British businessman, politician, diplomat and the first Governor General of the united Province of Canada.

were the first pair of MPs, elected in that year. He represented the city in Parliament until 1847. He was an active member of the Anti-Corn Law League and a champion of universal education. In 1837 he chaired a meeting that led to the creation of the Lancashire Public Schools' Association which was instrumental in establishing a system of publicly funded schooling in the UK.

Other works

Philips also played an important role in establishing England's first free

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

in 1852 and he was President of his old school, Manchester Academy, from 1842 to 1846 and from 1871 until his death. He was High Sheriff of Warwickshire for 1851. Philips donated money to many causes including £1,000 towards the fund for the provision of open spaces and parks for the City of Manchester. This resulted in many estates being purchased by the city, including Lark Hill in Salford, which became Peel Park, and the Bradford Estate which became Philips Park in east Manchester. He died, aged 73, at Welcombe House, Snitterfield, near

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

Honours

*Philips Park in the Bradford area of east Manchester is named after him. *There is a statue in

Manchester Town Hall Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. It is the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments. The building faces Albert Square to th ...

. *An obelisk erected in memory of Philips in 1876 stands on the family's former estate outside Stratford-upon-Avon. *His portrait hangs in the Mayor's Chambers at Manchester Town Hall.

References

External links