John Biggs (MP)
| John Biggs | |
|---|---|
 Biggs as painted by an unknown artist | |
Member of Parliament for Leicester | |
In office 18 June 1856 – 17 February 1862 Serving with William Unwin Heygate (1861–1862) Joseph William Noble (1859–1861) John Dove Harris (1857–1859) Joshua Walmsley (1856–1857) | |
| Preceded by | Joshua Walmsley Richard Gardner |
| Succeeded by | William Unwin Heygate Peter Alfred Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Rookes Crompton 1801 Arnesby, Leicestershire |
| Died | 4 June 1871 (aged 69) |
| Resting place | Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Radical |
| Parents | John Biggs Elizabeth Heggs |
John Biggs (1801 – 4 June 1871)[1] was a British hosier and Liberal and Radical politician.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Contents
1 Early life and business
2 Political career
2.1 Reformer
2.2 Member of Parliament
3 Later life
4 References
5 External links
Early life and business
The first of seven children to his namesake, John Biggs and Elizabeth, née Heggs, Biggs was born in Arnesby, Leicestershire. Upon his father's death in 1827, he inherited the family hosiery firm, John Biggs & Sons, and developed the business into one of the largest in Leicester, with exports to North America and Australia. In his hands, the business innovated in hosiery and glovemaking, and invested heavily in equipping a steam-powered factory.[7]
Political career
Reformer
Biggs engaged in campaigning for political reform early into his life, helping found the Political Union and Reform Society in 1826, and supporting the anti-Corn Laws campaign. By 1846, he and a fellow hosier were named as 'the Cobden and Bright of the Midland Counties', referring to Radical leaders Richard Cobden and John Bright.[7]
His reform views led him to become one of the leaders of the reformed corporation of Leicester, and he was made mayor in 1840, 1847 and 1856, while also a borough magistrate from 1849. Yet, his views were rejected while he was in office, with "modest proposals" for street-widening and a town hall dismissed by the Improvement committee in 1845.[7]
Becoming disillusioned with the Reform Society and local MPs Joshua Walmsley and Richard Gardner, Biggs turned "ultra-radical" and sought to return what he believed truly radical MPs for Leicester and a popular franchise. Eventually, this led to Walmsley and Gardner being unseated and replaced by John Ellis and Richard Harris, causing a 15-year battle between local Liberal factions.[7]
Member of Parliament
Biggs was elected Radical MP for Leicester at a by-election in 1856—caused by the death of Richard Gardner—and became known as the 'Dictator' of a 'Chartist clique' by local opponents.[8][7]
Biggs held the seat until 1863, when he recognised a union was needed between the warring Liberal factions—spurred by a Conservative victory by William Unwin Heygate at an 1861 by-election for the borough—and resigned from politics altogether.[8][7]
Later life
Following his departure from politics, Biggs fell foul of several other personal problems, starting with financial failure. After racking up debts of more than £10,000, his house had to be sold, along with paintings he owned, and his business was sold to another firm as a going concern.[7]
Meanwhile, his sister died, and her husband James Francis Hollings—editor of the Leicestershire Mercury and historian and luminary of the Literary and Philosophical Society—committed suicide.[7]
In 1871, living unmarried, Biggs too died, leaving behind little wealth but what some historians describe as a significant impact on the city. The town hall he had campaigned for during his earlier political life was approved and build, frame-rent was abolished, and the reunited Liberal party was "rescued... from their inertia".[7]
Biggs was buried at Welford Road Cemetery, with a subscription, originally intended to provide a memorial over his tomb, receiving so much support that a seven-foot public statue, created by G. F. Lawson, was erected in Welford Place.[7]
References
^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 2)
^ Newitt, Ned. "John Biggs". The Who's Who of Radical Leicester. Retrieved 15 May 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Art and sculpture". Friends of New Walk. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Moore, James R. (2017). "Leicester Liberalism: An Uneasy Alliance". The Transformation of Urban Liberalism: Party Politics and Urban Governance in Late Nineteenth-Century England. Routledge. p. 89. ISBN 9781351126038. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ Quinn, P L (2017). Felix Holt, the True Story: Resolving the 150 year mystery of George Eliot's classic novel. Lulu.com. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-244-61150-7. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
^ "Leicester Election". Nairnshire Telegraph and General Advertiser for the Northern Counties. 25 June 1856. p. 2. Retrieved 15 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
^ abcdefghijk Evans, R. H. (29 May 2014) [2004]. "Biggs, John (1801–1871), hosier and political reformer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/58341.|access-date=requires|url=(help)
(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^ ab Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)|format=requires|url=(help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Mr John Biggs
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joshua Walmsley Richard Gardner | Member of Parliament for Leicester 1856–1862 With: William Unwin Heygate (1861–1862) Joseph William Noble (1859–1861) John Dove Harris (1857–1859) Joshua Walmsley (1856–1857) | Succeeded by William Unwin Heygate Peter Alfred Taylor |
