Samuel Alexander Sadler
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Sir Samuel Alexander Sadler (1842 – 29 September 1911) was a British industrialist, public servant and the first
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, the town with which his name is associated.


Background

Samuel Alexander was the son of James Sadler and Mary Ann Millership of Langley Hall, near Oldbury, Worcestershire (now Oldbury, West Midlands). Members of the Sadler family contributed greatly to their native district of Oldbury and the Black Country during the nineteenth century, particularly Samuel Alexander's paternal uncle, John Sadler.


Career

Sadler was a chemist by profession and, having studied at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, reputedly under Michael Faraday, he established the successful chemicals business of Sadler and Company Limited based at Middlesbrough –
Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
's first oil and chemicals company. He founded the firm in 1869 as a tar distillery and wood distillery. In 1880 he took over the neighbouring company of Jones & Sharp. It became a limited company in 1883 and subsidiary works were opened at Ulverston, Portsmouth, Carlton and Stockton. Products included coal gas, ammonia soda, ammonium sulphate, sulphuric acid, muriatic acid (HCl), nitric acid, caustic soda, sodium dichromate, oxalic acid, benzoles, carbolic acid (phenol), naphtha light oils, creosote, heavy oil, pitch and coke. The original works closed in 1971. It was due to the efforts of pioneers such as Sadler that Teesside became established as a leading centre of the chemicals industry in the United Kingdom. He was also a
colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
owner and had interests in several colliery companies in County Durham. A 434 NRT steamship was named for him in 1876.


Public service

Beside his work as an industrialist, Sadler served on Middlesbrough Council from 1873 and became Mayor on three occasions – 1877, 1896 and 1910. He succeeded at the third attempt to be elected as the first Conservative Member of Parliament for the Middlesbrough constituency and unseated his predecessor Joseph Havelock Wilson in the firmly
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 ...
seat at the 1900 general election, but was defeated by Wilson at the 1906 general. In addition, he became a Freeman of the Borough, served as Justice of the Peace,
Alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
and was honoured with a
knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
on 24 July 1905. Sadler was greatly interested in the Volunteer Force and served as Commanding Officer and later Honorary Colonel of the 1st Durham Rifle Volunteers, which became the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the
Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and t ...
. He received the
Volunteer Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was discontinued in the United Kingdom ...
. As a result of his efforts in this field, and as a reflection of his popularity due to repeated displays of popular philanthropy, Sadler was affectionately referred to as 'the Colonel'. Two years following his death, a statue commemorating his service to the town was fashioned by Édouard Lantéri and erected by subscription in Victoria Square, Middlesbroug
Middlesbrough, MB03, Statue, Monument to Sir Samuel Sadler
There is a photograph in the Frith collection. The statue was temporarily moved in 2004 so that construction could be performed on the square.


Marriages and Issue

Samuel Alexander Sadler married firstly Rachael Sadler Field (1847–1873), his first cousin once removed, daughter of John Field and Mercy Ann Sadler of Oldbury in 1865, by whom he had four children; the eldest, Percy, marrying Mary Young Blair, the daughter of George Young Blair. His second son by his first wife, Cecil James Sadler (b. 1868), married Amy Ropner, daughter of fellow Teesside magnate
Sir Robert Ropner, 1st Baronet Sir (Emil Hugo Oscar) Robert Ropner, 1st Baronet (born Röpner; 16 December 1838 – 26 February 1924) was a German-British shipbuilder, shipowner, and Conservative Member of Parliament. Career Ropner was born in 1838 in Magdeburg, Province of ...
(1838–1924) of Preston Hall, near Stockton-on-Tees. In 1874, the year after his wife's death, Sadler married her sister Mercy Sadler Field (b. 1853), by whom he had a further five children.


Ancestors


Further Sources

Record of Sir Samuel Alexander Sadler's parliamentary contributions in
Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official prin ...
might be viewed on the following lin
Mr Samuel Sadler (Hansard)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadler, Samuel Alexander 1842 births 1911 deaths UK MPs 1900–1906 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Knights Bachelor People from Middlesbrough People from Oldbury, West Midlands 19th-century English businesspeople