Richard Hodgson-Huntley, also known as Richard Hodgson until 1870, (1 April 1812 – 22 December 1877) was a
British
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* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
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.
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politician and railway entrepreneur.
Family
Known as Hodgson at the time, Hodgson-Huntley was the second son of John Hodgson and Sarah, daughter of Richard Huntley.
He married Catherine Moneypenny, daughter of Anthony Compton.
They had at least one child: Katherine Isabella.
Political career
The then-Hodgson was elected a
protectionist
Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...
Conservative MP for
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
in
1837
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The destructive Galilee earthquake causes 6,000–7,000 casualties in Ottoman Syria.
* January 26 – Michigan becomes the 26th state admitted to the United States.
* February – Charles Dickens's ...
. He held the seat until 1847 when he stood down in order to contest
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, a seat his brother,
John Hodgson, was retiring from; he was unsuccessful.
Hodgson returned to Berwick-upon-Tweed to contest the
1852 general election and by-elections in
1853
Events
January–March
* January 6 – Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida.
* January 8 – Taiping Reb ...
and
1859
Events
January–March
* January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico.
* January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final u ...
but failed to recapture the seat.
He later returned to parliament for
Tynemouth and North Shields, elected at the
by-election in 1861 and held the seat until 1865 when he was defeated.
Railways
From 1855 to 1866, Hodgson-Huntley was the chairman of the
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...
Board of Directors.
He joined at a time of particular financial discordance, after former chairman John Learmonth had invested heavily in subscriptions to other railways, with huge sums being written off in failed ventures, and similar sized sums were being sought for new ones.
[David Ross, ''The North British Railway: A History'', Stenlake Publishing Limited, Catrine, 2014, ]
Hodgson-Huntley's reign saw the company's financial position significantly improved and, within one year of his chairmanship beginning, operating expenses were cut to 44% and he announced the company was free from debt, and a dividend of 2.5% to shareholders. Although the company's dividends varied during his chairmanship – such as in 1862 when capital commitments again swamped the company's financial resources – they regularly hit up to 3%.
[
Yet, twice in 1866, he proposed a 3% dividend on ordinary shares, only for the share price to decline. On the second occasion, a new company secretary, John Walker, alerted the finance committee to poor company finances. A new preference share issue had been flopped, and it was impossible to pay debenture interest and preference share-guaranteed dividends. This revelation saw ordinary shares fall in value by 8% overnight, and widespread financial impropriety and falsification accounts were blamed on Hodgson, causing a special general meeting on 14 November 1866. Hodgson decided not to attend, instead tendering his resignation from the board, while blaming his non-attendance on a headache.][
]
Other activities
He also chaired the Tweed Commissions, and a Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
.High Sheriff of Northumberland
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgson-Huntley, Richard
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1841–1847
UK MPs 1859–1865
1812 births
1877 deaths
High Sheriffs of Northumberland
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies