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List of chairmen of the London County Council facts for kids

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This is a list of persons who held the offices of chairman, vice chairman and deputy chairman of the London County Council. All three offices existed from 1889 to 1965.

Background

The chairmanship and vice chairmanship were statutory offices created by the Local Government Act 1888. Both of these positions were generally filled by members of the majority party. The chairman chaired meetings of the council, and was the county's civic leader, filling a similar role to the mayor of a borough or city. The vice chairman performed these functions in his or her absence.

As part of the celebrations of the silver jubilee of George V in 1935 it was announced that the chairman would in future be entitled to use the style "right honourable", an honour already enjoyed by the Lord Mayor of London.

The council's standing orders also provided for the post of deputy chairman. This was initially a salaried position created to supervise the administration of the local authority. In 1894 the Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London strongly recommended that a clerk be appointed, independent of the parties on the council, as was the practice in municipal boroughs. A county clerk was duly appointed in 1895, and the deputy chairmanship became ceremonial. The office was filled by nominees of the opposition party on the council.

On 1 April 1965 the London County Council was abolished, with its successor authority being the Greater London Council.

Regalia

The chairman had no badge of office until 1927. In 1909 the council had decided that no badge or device should be worn by the chairman. By 1926 the number of formal occasions attended by the chairman had increased, and it was felt that he was at a distinct disadvantage due to not having a distinguishing mark to indicate his office. In 1927 Major Lewis-Barned, councillor for South Paddington, agreed to cover the cost of a badge. The badge was made by an instructor at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and featured the council's coat of arms within an oval of London Pride. The badge was worn on a ribbon in a distinctive barry wavy argent and azure pattern derived from the arms. In 1950 similar, but smaller, badges were acquired for the use of the vice and deputy chairmen.

1889–1899

Sir William Job Collins
William Collins
RoseberyMillais
Lord Rosebery
John Lubbock72
John Lubbock
Thomas McKinnon Wood
Thomas McKinnon Wood
Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1889 Earl of Rosebery Sir John Lubbock Joseph Firth Bottomley Firth
(Died September 1889)
Office vacant September – November 1889
1889–1890 Earl of Rosebery

Sir John Lubbock (July 1890)

Sir John Lubbock

Thomas Farrer

Alfred H Haggis
1890–1891 Sir John Lubbock Thomas Farrer Alfred Haggis
(Died November 1891)
Office vacant November 1891 – March 1892
1891–1892
1892–1893 Earl of Rosebery

John Hutton (July 1892)

John Hutton

Charles Harrison (July 1892)

Willoughby Dickinson
1893–1894 John Hutton Charles Harrison Willoughby Dickinson
1894–1895 Sir John Hutton Charles Harrison Willoughby Dickinson
1895–1896 Sir Arthur Arnold John Benn Willoughby Dickinson
1896–1897 Sir Arthur Arnold Dr William Job Collins Melvill Beachcroft
1897–1898 Dr William Job Collins Melvill Beachcroft Andrew Mitchell Torrance
1898–1899 Thomas McKinnon Wood Lord Welby Henry Percy Harris
  • Note a: The Earl of Rosebery resigned, and the vice chairman, Sir John Lubbock was elected in his place in July 1890. The vice chairmanship then became vacant, being eventually filled by Sir Thomas Farrer.
  • Note b: The three office holders all made clear their intention to resign at the end of October 1891. However, following unanimous representations from the members of the council, all agreed to continue until the next elections in March 1892. Therefore, no elections to the offices were made in 1891.
  • Note c: Rosebery resigned as chairman in the Summer of 1892, becoming Foreign Secretary in the Fourth Gladstone Ministry. Hutton was elected chairman and Harrison replaced him as Vice Chairman.
  • Note d: Knighted in 1894.

1899–1909

1906 Willoughby Dickinson
W. H. Dickinson
John Williams Benn
John Benn
1900s Andrew Mitchell Torrance MP
A. M. Torrance
RARobinsonII C
R. A Robinson
Sir Edwin Cornwall
E. A. Cornwall
Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1899–1900 Lord Welby Richard Strong Thomas Lorimer Corbett
1900–1901 Willoughby Dickinson Andrew Mitchell Torrance John Fletcher
1901–1902 Andrew Mitchell Torrance John McDougall Arthur Rotton
1902–1903 John McDougall Lord Monkswell Henry Clarke
1903–1904 Lord Monkswell Edwin Cornwall Richard Atkinson Robinson
1904–1905 John Benn Edwin Cornwall Frederick Prat Alliston
1905–1906 Edwin Cornwall Evan Spicer Clifford Proby
1906–1907 Evan Spicer Henry Ward Elijah Baxter Forman
1907–1908 Henry Percy Harris Herbert Stuart Sankey Fitzroy Hemphill
1908–1909 Richard Atkinson Robinson William Whitaker Thompson Arthur Acland Allen
  • Note e: Knighted on 24 October 1902. The award was part of the coronation honours of Edward VII, and was announced on 26 June 1902.

1909–1919

Eaton HF Vanity Fair 1912-07-17
Lord Cheylesmore, chairman 1912 – 1913
Robert Crewe-Milnes portrait
Lord Crewe, chairman 1917 – 1918
Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1909–1910 Sir Melvill Beachcroft Edward White Edward Smith
1910–1911 William Whitaker Thompson Cyril Cobb Alfred James Shepheard
1911–1912 Edward White Cyril Jackson
Captain G S C Swinton (1912)
Arthur B Russell
1912–1913 George Swinton
Lord Cheylesmore (April 1912)
John Herbert Hunter Harry Gosling
1913–1914 Cyril Cobb Philip Pilditch William Cowlishaw Johnson
1914–1915 Viscount Peel Alfred Ordway Goodrich H. E. A. Cotton
1915–1916 Cyril Jackson Ernest Gray Percy Harris
1916–1917 Alfred Fowell Buxton William James Squires Henry Herman Gordon
1917–1918 Marquess of Crewe John Gilbert Thomas Frederick Hobson
1918–1919 Ronald Collet Norman Cecil Urquhart Fisher Katharine Wallas
  • Note f: Knighted on 9 March 1912 "on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the new London County Hall"
  • Note g: Jackson resigned from the post of vice chairman in January 1912 on becoming leader of the Municipal Reform Party, and Swinton was elected in his place.
  • Note h: Swinton was elected at the statutory meeting of the council on 12 March, and accepted office, but informed the council that he would only be holding the office for a few weeks, as he was leaving for India. Lord Cheylesmore was elected to the chair in his place on 2 April 1912.
  • Note i: In 1917 the two parties on the council agreed a power-sharing deal for the duration of the war, and jointly nominated the Marquess of Crewe, who was Lord Lieutenant of the County of London to be non-partisan chairman.

1919–1929

George Hopwood Hume
George Hume
Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1919–1920 Lord Downham Andrew Thomas Taylor Thomas Gautrey
1920–1921 John Gilbert Jessie Wilton Phipps George Masterman Gillett
1921–1922 Percy Simmons Francis Robert Ince Anderton Howell Williams
1922–1923 Francis Robert Ince Anderton Henry Cubitt Gooch Henrietta Adler
1923–1924 Henry Cubitt Gooch Henry Vincent Rowe Earl of Haddo
1924–1925 John Herbert Hunter Isidore Salmon Henry Mills
1925–1926 Oscar Emanuel Warburg John Burgess Preston Karslake Susan Lawrence
1926–1927 George Hume William Hunt Emil Davies
1927–1928 John Maria Gatti Geoffrey Head Edward Cruse
1928–1929 Cecil Levita Frederick Lionel Dove John Speakman
  • Note j: Gilbert was knighted at the end of his term of office in 1921.
  • Note k: Simmons was knighted at the end of his term of office in 1922.
  • Note l: Warburg was knighted on 5 February 1926
  • Note m: Levita was knighted in 1929

1929–1939

John William Dodson, Vanity Fair, 1909-10-27
Monk Bretton in 1909, 20 years before he was chairman.
Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1929–1930 Lord Monk Bretton Ernest Sanger Eveline Lowe
1930–1931 Robert Tasker Thomas Clarence Edward Goff Alfred Baker
1931–1932 Ernest Sanger Ernest Dence Cecil Manning
1932–1933 Angus Scott Beatrix Lyall Agnes Dawson
1933–1934 Ernest Dence Cyril Jacobs Anna Mathew
1934–1935 Lord Snell Ewart Culpin Charles Allpass
1935–1936 Lord Snell Ewart Culpin William Wilson Grantham
1936–1937 Lord Snell Ewart Culpin Robert Taylor
1937–1938 Lord Snell Emil Davies Frederic Bertram Galer
1938–1939 Ewart Culpin John Speakman Gervas Pierrepont
  • Note n: Knighted on 24 February 1931
  • Note p: Lord Snell was brought in from outside the council on the Labour Party taking power for the first time in 1934.

1939–1949

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1939–1940 Eveline Lowe Richard Coppock Samuel Gluckstein
1940–1941 Albert Emil Davies Henry Berry Frank Stanley Henwood
1941–1942 Charles Ammon Charles Gibson Edgar John Sainsbury
1942–1943 J. P. Blake Ada Gray Walter Clifford Northcott
1943–1944 Alfred Baker
Richard Coppock (May 1943)
Reginald H. Pott Eric Hall
1944–1945 Somerville Hastings Thomas Henry Jones Edward Martin
1945–1946 Charles Robertson Ethel Maud Newman Frederick William Dean
1946–1947 John Cliff Harry Smith Frank Gibbs Rye
1947–1948 Eleanor Nathan Ernest Sherwood John Martin Oakey
1948–1949 Walter Richard Owen Frank Lawrence Combes
Fred Powe (October 1948)
William Reed Hornby Steer
  • Note q: Baker died 2 April 1943. Coppock was elected chairman on 18 May 1943.
  • Note r: Combes died 26 September 1948. Powe was elected in his place on 5 October 1948.

1949–1959

J. W. Bowen
Bowen in 1920, 29 years before becoming chairman
Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1949–1950 John William Bowen Bernard Sullivan Charles Pearce
1950–1951 John William Bowen Helen Bentwich A W Scott
1951–1952 John William Bowen Richard Sargood Norah Runge
1952–1953 Edwin Bayliss Douglas Prichard Francis William Beech
1953–1954 Arthur Edward Middleton
Molly Bolton (November 1953)
Molly Bolton
Frank Banfield (November 1953)
Frederick Lawrence
1954–1955 Victor Mishcon Jack Oldfield Alfred Edward Reneson Coucher
1955–1956 Norman Prichard Ethel Rankin George Rowland Durston Bradfield
1956–1957 Helen Bentwich J. O'Neill Ryan Elizabeth Evelyn Pepler
1957–1958 Ronald McKinnon Wood Leonard Browne Margery Thornton
1958–1959 Albert Samuels Eleanor Goodrich Cecilia Petrie
  • Note s: Middleton was knighted on 6 July 1953 when Elizabeth II visited County Hall as part of the coronation celebrations. He died on 19 October 1953. On 2 November 1953 Bolton was elected chairman in his place, and her place as vice chairman was filled by Banfield.

1959–1965

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman
1959–1960 Sidney Barton Edward Woods Samuel Isidore Salmon
1960–1961 Florence Cayford John Keen Norman Farmer
1961–1962 Harold Shearman Edward Avery Randolph Joseph Cleaver
1962–1963 Olive Deer Herbert James Lowton Lygoe Eileen Hoare
1963–1964 Reginald Stamp
Arthur Wicks (October 1963)
Arthur Wicks
Henry Stillman (October 1963)
Unity Lister
1964–1965 Arthur Wicks Henry Stillman Frank Abbott

Note t: Stamp resigned unexpectedly on 5 October 1963 when he came under investigation by the Director of Public Prosecutions. On 11 October 1963 Wicks was elected chairman in his place, and his place as vice chairman was filled by Stillman. Stamp was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in December 1963.

See also

  • List of heads of London government
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List of chairmen of the London County Council Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.