Robert Waithman (1764 – 6 February 1833) was a master
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, ...
who in later life was a British politician; an economic progressive
Whig from an industrial background and a political reformist. He became an alderman of the Corporation of London who elected him as
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
for a standard tenure, one ceremonial year.
Biography
Waithman was born at
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, to John Waithman, a joiner at the
Bersham Ironworks
Bersham Ironworks were large ironworks at Bersham, near Wrexham, Wales. They are most famous for being the original working site of John Wilkinson. They were also the first site in the world to use a new way of boring holes in cannon and stea ...
, and Mary (née Roberts).
After being employed for some time in a London
linen 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, ...
's, he opened, about 1786, a draper's shop of his own, and made a considerable fortune. On 14 July 1787 he married Mary Davis, his cousin.
In 1818 he was returned to
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
, as a Whig, for the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. He lost his seat at the election of 1820, but regained it in 1826, and retained it till his death, taking part vigorously in the parliamentary debates, and strenuously supporting reform.
[
In 1820 he was appointed ]Sheriff of the City of London
Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...
and in 1823 elected Lord Mayor of London. Waithman died in London on 6 February 1833. An obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
erected by his friends in Ludgate Circus
Ludgate Circus is a road junction in the City of London where Farringdon Street/New Bridge Street (the A201) crosses Fleet Street/Ludgate Hill. (Ludgate Hill is a gentle rise to St Paul's Cathedral.)
Fleet Street was the only direct road betwe ...
, London, adjoining the site of his first shop, commemorated his memory. The obelisk today forms the main monument in Salisbury Square.[
]
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Waithman, Robert
1764 births
1833 deaths
People from Wrexham
Sheriffs of the City of London
19th-century lord mayors of London
19th-century English politicians
Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1818–1820
UK MPs 1826–1830
UK MPs 1830–1831
UK MPs 1831–1832
UK MPs 1832–1835