Sir William Lancaster (1841–1929) was an English businessman, philanthropist and politician, the second Mayor of

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

(1901–02) and the co-founder of

Putney School of Art and Design Putney School of Art and Design (PSAD) is an art college in Putney, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Location The school is on the corner of Oxford road and Disraeli road, and backs on to the railway between Putney and Wandsworth town. ...

Life and career

Lancaster was the son of John Lancaster, of West Winch, Norfolk. He was educated at King's Lynn Grammar School and joined the staff of the

Prudential Assurance Company Prudential plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It was founded in London in May 1848 to provide loans to professional and working people. Prudential has dual primary listings on the London Stock E ...

in 1868, when he was 17. He rose through the ranks of the expanding company and at the age of 33 he was appointed as its chief executive, with the title of Secretary. He held the post from 1874 to 1900, when he was elected a director, becoming deputy chairman for seven years. In December 1920, he retired; his eldest son, John Roy Lancaster, a surveyor, succeeded him on the board. Lancaster took a keen interest in education, and he presented an endowment and new buildings to his old school which, as King Edward VII Grammar School, was opened by the King in 1906. Lancaster was knighted in connexion with the official opening. He received the freedom of King's Lynn in 1913. He was mayor of Wandsworth in 1901–2, and unsuccessfully contested the North-West constituency of Norfolk as a Conservative in 1906. He purchased land and helped to found

Putney Hospital Putney Hospital was a public hospital in the London Borough of Wandsworth, west of Putney town centre. Site history The hospital site had an area of 1.23ha and in the late 19th century was occupied by two detached houses, The Elms and West lodg ...

. He was elected Master of the Musicians' Company in 1921, and was a prominent Freemason, becoming Grand Treasurer of United Grand Lodge of England. He was a magistrate for the County of London, and Lord of the manor and ecclesiastical patron of

East Winch East Winch is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located south-east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich. History East Winch's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the east ...

. In 1868 Lancaster married Sarah Harriot, daughter of Dr D. T. Roy; she died in 1889. One son of the marriage was killed in action in 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 ...

, and three sons and two daughters survived their parents."Sir W. J. Lancaster", ''The Times'', 2 March 1929, p. 14 One of his grandchildren was the cartoonist and architectural historian

Osbert Lancaster Sir Osbert Lancaster, CBE (4 August 1908 – 27 July 1986) was an English cartoonist, architectural historian, stage designer and author. He was known for his cartoons in the British press, and for his lifelong work to inform the general p ...

.Boston, p. 22

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, William (politician) 1841 births 1929 deaths English philanthropists English businesspeople English politicians Lancaster family