Colonel John James Mellor (12 August 1830 – 12 January 1916) was a British industrialist and

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 i ...

politician.

Early life

Mellor was born in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and was educated privately.''New Members of Parliament'', The Times, 19 July 1895, p. 15

Business and military

He entered business as a cotton manufacturer and became chairman of J & J J Mellor Limited of

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

and Brook Mills Limited of Heywood. He was also involved in railway administration, and was a director of the

Metropolitan Railway The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex su ...

and the South Eastern Railway. For twenty-seven years he held a commission in the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

, retiring as honorary colonel of the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

.''An Old Volunteer Colonel'', The Times, 14 January 1916, p. 5

Politics

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

he stood as Conservative candidate for the Radcliffe cum Farnworth constituency, but failed to be elected.

Robert Leake Robert Leake (1824 – 1 May 1901) was a British Liberal politician. Leake was the eldest son of Robert Leake of Manchester and Mary Lockett of Salford, Lancashire. After a private education he became head of Lockett, Leake and Company, engrave ...

, the sitting

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 ...

MP stood down at the next general election in 1895. Mellor was again selected as Conservative candidate, and was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

, benefitting from both a large swing to the Conservatives and the fact that Leake had a large personal vote. Mellor was only in the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

for five years, deciding not to stand again. At the 1900 general election Radcliffe cum Farnworth was regained by the Liberals. In 1908, he invited

Viscount Ridley Viscount Ridley is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1900 for the Conservative politician Sir Matthew White Ridley, 5th Baronet, Home Secretary from 1895 to 1900. He was made Baron Wensleydale, of Blagdon and Bl ...

, who was the chairman for the

Tariff Reform League The Tariff Reform League (TRL) was a protectionist British pressure group formed in 1903 to protest against what they considered to be unfair foreign imports and to advocate Imperial Preference to protect British industry from foreign competition ...

to hold a large demonstration of the unionist party at

Gwrych Castle Gwrych Castle ( cy, Castell Gwrych meaning "hedged castle") (Originally spelt as 'Gwrŷch') is a Grade I listed 19th-century country house near Abergele in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The castle and 236 acre estate are owned by a charity, an ...

, Ridley accepted and the event was held at 14th September. Apart from his business and political activities, Mellor took an interest in science and engineering, and was a fellow of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...

for nearly sixty years.

Family

He married Jennette Clegg in 1865, and they lived at The Woodland, Whitefield near Manchester. Their son Walter Clifford Mellor was an ordained minister and leading member of the

Neo-Jacobite Revival The Neo-Jacobite Revival was a political movement that took place during the 25 years before the First World War in the United Kingdom. The movement was monarchist, and had the specific aim of replacing British parliamentary democracy with a restor ...

before the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He married Helen Stewart the daughter of

Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway Alan Plantagenet Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway, KT, DL, JP (21 October 1835 – 7 February 1901), styled Lord Garlies until 1873, was a British peer and politician. Background Galloway was the eldest son of Randolph Stewart, 9th Earl of Ga ...

. She took the title Lady Helen Mellor, and joined Walter in the

Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland The Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland was a Jacobite society founded in 1891 by Herbert Vivian, Melville Henry Massue and Ruaraidh Erskine following a split from the earlier Order of the White Rose. The League was consider ...

References

Notes

1830 births 1916 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1895–1900 Lancashire Fusiliers officers People from Oldham Volunteer Force officers {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1830s-stub