Joseph Firth Bottomley Firth (1842 - September 1889) was a barrister and Liberal Party politician who was the first Deputy Chairman of the London County Council.
Portrait from The Graphic, 1880
Born near Huddersfield in Yorkshire as Joseph Firth Bottomley. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1866. In 1873 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Mr George Tatham (later Mayor of Leeds from 1880-1883). He assumed the name of Firth by Royal licence in the same year.[1]
He sat on School Board for London representing Chelsea 1876-9, and was member of parliament for the same constituency from 1880-85. He actively campaigned for local government reform in London and was President of the London Municipal Reform League. In 1876 he was the author of Municipal London: Or, London Government as it Is, and London Under a Municipal Council .
When the Liberal Party split in 1886 over Irish Home Rule, he remianed in the main or 'Gladstonian' faction. In 1888 he returned to parliament when there was a by-election at Dundee.
He was elected to the first London County Council as part of the majority, Liberal-aligned, Progressive Party. He became Deputy Chairman, a post specially created for him combining the duties of an elected member with those of a town clerk.[2]
Died of sunstroke in Switzerland.
References[]
Obituary in The Times 5 September 1889, p.4 Wikipedia article [1].
The Historic Hansard page is [2].
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 23952. p. 782. 25 February 1873.
- ↑ 2 October 1889 Letter The Times from W Blake Odgers – Deputy Chairman LCC or Clerk of Council: office of Deputy Chairman LCC created specially for Mr Firth, due to his knowledge of municipal matters, and his work in other municipalities carried out by Clerk of Council.