Sir Max Muspratt, 1st Baronet (3 February 1872 – 20 April 1934) was a British chemist and a politician in the city of Liverpool, England.

Early life and education

He was born at Seaforth Hall, Seaforth, Lancashire, 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 and Julia Solly. He was an uncle of

Nelia Penman Nelia Penman (''née'' Muspratt; 6 November 1915 – 16 August 2017) was a British Liberal Party politician and barrister. Background She was born Nelia Muspratt, a daughter of Clifford Muspratt and Bertha Noble. in Hampstead, London. She was par ...

, who served as President of the Women's Liberal Federation. The Muspratt family were originally from Dublin but moved to Liverpool in 1822 when James Muspratt, the father of Edmund, established a chemical factory in Vauxhall Road.Trevor I. Williams, (2004) 'Muspratt, James (1793–1886)’, '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press

Retrieved on 9 March 2007. Muspratt was educated at a private school in Hemel Hempstead and at Clifton College before studying industrial chemistry at Zürich Polytechnic.

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 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.

Political career

Muspratt was a Liberal 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 The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...

he was returned to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Exchange, but was not re-elected at the

December 1910 general election The December 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 3 to 19 December. It was the last general election to be held over several days and the last to be held before the History of the United Kingdom during the First World War, First Wo ...

, and was defeated in the

1911 Bootle by-election The 1911 Bootle by-election was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Bootle in Merseyside on 27 March 1911. It was won by the Conservative Party candidate Bonar Law. Vacancy The seat had become vacant on 13 March ...

. He left the Liberals for the Conservative Party in 1926. During the First World War, 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, Lancashire. 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 in 1922, of Merseyside, Lancashire, in the

1922 Dissolution Honours The 1922 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 19 October 1922 at the advice of the outgoing Prime Minister, David Lloyd George. Earldoms * The Rt Hon. Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Viscount Birkenhead * The Rt Hon. Horace Brand, 1st Viscount Far ...

. 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