William Williams (Radical politician)
William Williams (12 February 1788 – 26 April 1865), was a Welsh Radical politician.
Born in Llanpumsaint, Carmarthenshire, and having had only a basic education, Williams began working in a cotton warehouse in London and soon built up his own business. In 1833 he became a member of the Common Council of the City of London, and in 1835 was elected MP for Coventry. After losing the seat in 1847, he became MP for Lambeth in 1850.
As a result of a speech made by Williams on 10 March 1846, a government inquiry into the state of education in Wales was launched, culminating in the "Treachery of the Blue Books". In 1863 he chaired the meeting that launched the campaign for a University of Wales.
William Williams was a generous benafactor to the village of his birth, paying for the construction and furnishing of the village school in 1862.[1]
William Williams died on 26 April 1865, after falling from his horse in Hyde Park, London.[2] He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London, in a grave north-east of the main chapel, alongside his parliamentary friend Joseph Hume. A plaque is dedicated to him in the village school he founded in Llanpumsaint.
References
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Williams
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edward Ellice Henry Bulwer |
Member of Parliament for Coventry 1835 – 1847 With: Edward Ellice |
Succeeded by Edward Ellice George James Turner |
| Preceded by Charles Pearson Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt |
Member of Parliament for Lambeth 1850 – 1865 With: Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt to 1852 William Arthur Wilkinson 1852–1857 William Roupell 1857–1862 Frederick Doulton from 1862 |
Succeeded by Frederick Doulton James Clarke Lawrence |