Thomas Edward Burgess Webb (July 1829 – 2 December 1896) was an English co-operator who was for 45 years a leading figure in the Battersea and Wandsworth Co-operative Society, as well as involvement in the People's Co-operative Society,

Co-operative Permanent Building Society The Co-operative Permanent Building Society was a mutual building society, providing mortgages and savings accounts to its members. Its head office was located at New Oxford House in London.Co-operative Printing Society The Co-operative Press is a co-operative whose principal activity is the publication of ''Co-op News''. The society's stated mission is to "connect, champion and challenge the global co-operative movement". The co-operative's members are the subs ...

, and the

Co-operative Wholesale Society A co-operative wholesale society, or CWS, is a form of co-operative federation (that is, a co-operative in which all the members are co-operatives), in this case, the members are usually consumer cooperatives. According to co-operative economi ...

. Two of his children,

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

and

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

, were themselves prominent co-operators.

Biography

Webb was born in July 1829 in Battersea, London, to James and Mary Ann Webb (). From a young age until 1878 he worked as a coppersmith at Price's Candle Factory in

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

. In 1854 he married Catherine Young, with whom he would have five children, including the co-operators

and Arthur Webb. In 1854 he was a founding member of the Battersea and Wandsworth Co-operative Society, serving on the committee until 1860, then as the chairman until 1874, then as secretary until 1878. From 1878 to 1890 he served as permanent secretary and manager of the society, then from 1890 until his death as honorary president of the society. He served as the first president of the People's Co-operative Society. From 1884 he was a founding member and chairman of the

from 1866. From 1874 until his death he served as a director of the

. He died in

Raynes Park Raynes Park is a residential suburb, railway station and local centre near Wimbledon, London, and is within the London Borough of Merton. It is situated southwest of Wimbledon Common, to the northwest of Wimbledon Chase and to the east of Ne ...

, London, on 2 December 1896 and was survived by his wife and four of his children. He is buried in St Mary's Cemetery, Battersea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Thomas Edward Burgess 1829 births 1896 deaths People from Battersea British cooperative organizers