William Lawies Jackson, 1st Baron Allerton, (16 February 1840 – 4 April 1917) was a British businessman and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician.

Background and education

Born in

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 c ...

, near

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Jackson was the son of William Jackson, a leather merchant and tanner. He was educated at the Moravian School.

Business career

Jackson took over his father's business. His ''Times'' obituary reads, "Early in his commercial career he devoted his energies to tanning, and was prominent in the leather industry." He was also Chairman of the Great Northern Railway.

Political career

Jackson was elected to Leeds Borough Council in 1859. He entered national politics when he unsuccessfully contested

in an 1876 by-election. He was successful in being elected for the same constituency in 1880. He switched to the Northern Division of Leeds in 1885, and he would represent that constituency until he was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

in 1902. In December 1885, a complimentary dinner was given in Leeds to Jackson by the Leeds and County Conservative Club with C.F. Tetley and J.W. Middleton being amongst the gentleman reportedly present. Jackson served two separate periods as

Financial Secretary to the Treasury The Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the ch ...

(1885–1886 and 1886–1891), being created a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...

on 30 June 1890. He was then appointed

Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British Dublin Castle administration, administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretar ...

in 1891, serving in that position for one year, although he did not sit in the Cabinet. He was Lord Mayor of Leeds in 1895. In the 1902 Coronation Honours list it was announced that he would receive a barony, and he was raised to the peerage as Baron Allerton, of Chapel Allerton, in the County of York, on 17 July 1902. He took the oath and his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

a week later, on 21 July. Lord Allerton chaired several institutions before his death on 4 April 1917.

Family

Jackson married Grace, daughter of George Tempest, of Otley, on 10 October 1860. His elder son George succeeded him as Baron Allerton. His younger son Francis Stanley was an international cricketer and had a military and political career. Jackson and his wife Grace were both buried at St Matthew's Church,

Chapel Allerton Chapel Allerton is an inner suburb of north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, from the city centre. It sits within the Chapel Allerton ward of Leeds City Council and had a population of 18,206 and 23,536 at the 2001 and 2011 census respe ...

Arms

References

* Cokayne, G.E., et al. ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition re ...

''. Rpt. in concise form. Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1982. *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allerton, William Jackson, 1st Baron People from Otley 1840 births 1917 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Royal Society UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs who were granted peerages Directors of the Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) People educated at Fulneck School Chief secretaries for Ireland Peers created by Edward VII