- Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet
Infobox Person
name = Sir John Brunner
image_size = 200px
caption = John Brunner in 1885
birth_date =February 8 1842
birth_place =Everton, Liverpool ,England
death_date =July 1 1919
death_place =Chertsey ,Surrey , England
education = St. George's House, Everton
occupation = Chemical industrialist,politician
title =Baronet
spouse = Salome Davies
Jane Wyman
parents = John Brunner
Margaret Catherine Curphey
children = John Fowler Leece, 2nd Baronet, Grace, Harold Roscoe,
Mabel Alicia, Hilda, Maud Mary, Ethel Jane
nationality = English
website =Sir John Tomlinson Brunner, 1st Baronet, PC, DL, LL.D (
8 February 1842 –1 July 1919 ) was a British chemical industrialist and Liberal Party politician. At Hutchinson'salkali works inWidnes he rose to the position of general manager. There he metLudwig Mond , whom he later formed a partnership with to create the chemical company Brunner Mond & Co., initially making alkali by theSolvay process . As aMember of Parliament he represented Northwich,Cheshire in 1885–1886 and then from 1887–1910. He was a paternalistic employer and as a politician supportedIrish Home Rule ,trade union s,free trade , welfare reforms and, leading up to the First World War, a more sympathetic stance towards Germany. Brunner was a prominent Freemason, and a generous benefactor to the towns in his constituency and to theUniversity of Liverpool . He is the great grandfather of HRH The Duchess of Kent.Early life and career
John Tomlinson Brunner was born in
Everton, Liverpool , the fourth child and second son of John Brunner, a Swiss Unitarian and schoolmaster, and Margaret Catherine Curphey, who originated from theIsle of Man . His father established a school in Netherfield Road, Everton, known as St George's House, to teach children along the lines advocated by Pestalozzi. [Koss, pp.3–6.] Brunner's mother died in 1847, when he was aged five; his father married Nancy Inman in 1851. She had a shrewd business sense and Brunner gave credit to her for teaching him skills in practical matters. [Koss, pp.7–9.] Brunner was educated at his father's school and then, at the age of 15, he decided to follow a career incommerce .Dick, Francis (2004) 'Brunner, Sir John Tomlinson, first baronet (1842-1919)', rev., "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ",Oxford University Press [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37236] Retrieved on9 March 2007 .] He spent four years in a shipping house in Liverpool, but found it neither exciting nor lucrative, and so decided on a change of career. [Koss, p.11–13.] In 1861, Brunner took a clerical post at Hutchinson'salkali works inWidnes , where his older brother Henry was already working as technical manager. [cite book | last =Hardie | first =D. W. P. | title =A History of the Chemical Industry of Widnes | publisher =Imperial Chemical Industries | | pages=227 | date =1950] There, he rose to the position ofgeneral manager . Shortly after starting work at Hutchinson's, Brunner met the German-born chemistLudwig Mond .Brunner Mond and Company
In 1873 Brunner formed a partnership with Mond and together they founded Brunner Mond & Company. Their initial capital was less than £20,000, most of which was borrowed. [Koss, p.23.] In April 1872 Mond had been to Belgium to meet
Ernest Solvay to negotiate terms to manufacture alkali by the process Solvay had developed. TheSolvay process produced soda ash more cheaply than the establishedLeblanc process , from raw materials which were more easily obtainable, and produced fewer waste products. [Koss, p.24.] Mond made agentlemen's agreement with Solvay to apportion the global markets, with Mond's company having exclusive rights to the United States and to the British Isles. [Koss, p.25.]Brunner and Mond decided to build their factory at
Winnington , nearNorthwich ,Cheshire on land owned by Lord Stanley of Alderley. This was sited on theRiver Weaver which allowed for the transport of the raw materials and finished products to and from the works. Lord Stanley insisted on selling the house,Winnington Hall , as well as the surrounding land, as part of the deal. The purchase was completed in 1873, and for a time both Mond and Brunner lived separately in the wings of the hall. [Koss, pp.27–29.] The early years were extremely difficult, initially in getting the plant to work efficiently and then in selling the soda ash. It was not until 1878 that success was achieved when they outsold their competitors and were producing their products more cheaply. [Koss, pp.30–31.] In 1881, the partnership was converted into alimited company with capital assets listed at £600,000 and the founders becamemanaging director s for life. [Koss, pp.33–34.] In 1891, Brunner became the chairman and retained that position until April 1918, 14 months before his death. However by then his duties were being increasingly performed by his son, Roscoe. [Koss, pp.46–47.]After its slow start, Brunner Mond & Company became the wealthiest British chemical company of the late 19th century. On its merger with three other British chemical companies to form
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in 1926, it had amarket capitalization of over £18 million. Brunner'ssobriquet , "ChemicalCroesus ", was given to him by "The Times ". He was a paternalistic employer and went to great lengths to improve the situation of his employees. Measures introduced by Brunner and Mond were shorter working hours, sickness and injury insurance, and holidays with pay. [Koss, pp.35–45]Politics
During the years he was working at Hutchinson's in Widnes, Brunner was developing his political interests. He joined the Widnes chapter of the
National Education League and became its secretary in 1872. [Koss, pp.17–18.] This gave him the opportunity to come into contact with Liberals from Liverpool and other parts of the country. [Koss, p.47.] Soon after moving to Northwich Brunner became more practically involved with education locally, in particular with the British School in the town. He later served on its board of governors and also on the local sanitary authority. [Koss, p.49.] As a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the parliamentary constituency of Northwich was created and Brunner offered himself as a candidate for the Liberal Party. [Koss, pp.49–51.] In his speech for the position he expressed support for the disestablishment of theChurch of England , for reform of property laws, forIrish Home Rule and for compensation for those whose properties had been damaged by the pumping ofbrine from the salt mines in the area. [Koss, pp.54–55.] During the campaign he was heckled because he had a foreign-sounding name. He responded "My father was a Swiss, my mother was a Manx woman, I was born in Liverpool, my nurse was Welsh: is that Cheshire enough for you?" [Koss, p.38.] At the general election on1 December 1885 Brunner beat William Henry Verdin, his Conservative rival, with a majority of 1,028. [Koss, pp.67–68.]The Liberal Party won more seats than any other party in the election, but insufficient to form a majority government, leaving the
Irish Parliamentary Party holding the balance of power. It proved impossible to form a stable government, and so another general election was called in June 1886. [Koss, pp.68–69] In the meantime, the Liberal Party had split, and theLiberal Unionist Party had been formed. Brunner's opponent at the 1886 election was William Henry Verdin's brother, Robert, standing as a Liberal Unionist. [Koss, pp.80–81.] The election was held on13 July 1886 , and Brunner was defeated by 458 votes. [Koss, p.85.] In November 1886, Brunner embarked on a world tour, accompanied by his wife and his son Stephen. His return to Northwich on2 July 1887 was greeted with great celebration, as he was extremely popular in the town, regarded as a kind and sympathetic employer and a generous benefactor. [Koss, pp.89–95.] Within three weeks of Brunner's return, Robert Verdin died [Koss, p.97.] and a by-election was called. Brunner's opponent was Lord Henry Grosvenor, who was standing as a Liberal Unionist. [Koss, p.98.] This time, at the election on13 August , Brunner won with a majority of 1,129. [Koss, p.107.] At the 1892 general election, Brunner's opponent was not a Liberal Unionist, but a Conservative, George Whiteley, who was a cotton manufacturer from Blackburn. Brunner was returned with an increased majority of 1,255. [Koss, pp.172–174.] In the 1895 election he beat Thomas Ward, another Conservative, by 1,638 votes. [Koss, p.178.] The 1900 general election was held during the Boer War, to which Brunner was opposed. He retained his seat, but with a reduced majority of 699. [Koss, pp.186–189.] In the 1906 general election, Brunner's opponent was the Conservative Colonel B.N. North who had fought in the Boer War. Brunner increased his majority to 1,792. [Koss p.202.] He continued to be theMember of Parliament for Northwich until the general election in January 1910, when he decided not to stand again, partly because of his own health and also because of concern for his wife's health. [Koss, pp.207–208.] Subsequently he moved toSurrey , but continued to play a part in politics when he was elected to theChertsey division of Surrey County Council. [Koss, p.210.]As a Liberal MP he supported
Irish Home Rule ,trade union s,free trade and welfare reforms. Leading up to the First World War he argued that Britain should adopt a more sympathetic approach towards Germany, including navaldisarmament . [Koss, pp.215–289.] When war did break out, Brunner was resolute in the opinion that it should be fought and won. In addition to the production of alkali, his factories were making other chemicals for use as explosives. He also built a new factory to purifytrinitrotoluene . [Koss, pp.273–275.]Benefactions
Brunner was a generous
benefactor whose gifts included the provision of schools, guildhalls and social clubs. InNorthwich he provided a free library and re-endowed Sir John Deane's Grammar School.cite book | title=A History of Sir John Deane's Grammar School, Northwich, 1557-1908; with a chapter on later developments since 1908 | last=Cox| first=Marjorie| coauthors=L.A.Hopkins (supplementary chapter)| publisher=Manchester University Press| location=Manchester| id=ISBN 0719012821] InRuncorn he purchased a disused chapel and presented it to the town to be used by the trades unions and the Friendly Societies,Starkey, p.217.] and in nearby Weston village he bought a disused school and gave it to the local community to serve as its village hall. [Starkey, p.189.] He also endowed the chairs ofeconomics ,physical chemistry andEgyptology at theUniversity of Liverpool .Abroad he gave gifts to the Landesmuseum in
Zürich and provided a hospital, also inSwitzerland . In 1885 he became aFreemason and in 1900 founded the John Brunner Lodge at Over Winsford. The following year he was honoured with the brevet rank of Past Grand Deacon of England.cite book | last =Anon | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Representative British Freemasons | publisher =Kessinger Publishing | date =2003 | location =Kila | pages =146ff | url =http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=LSrGRg8wuMYC&pg=RA1-PA146&dq=%22Witton+Grammar+School%22&sig=xOEOEpy67fNIA8orEB4_Yf1KdSE | doi = | id = | isbn =0766135896 ]In 1899 Brunner (who had by then been created a baronet) became chairman of the Runcorn and Widnes Transporter Bridge Company. He subscribed £25,000 towards its construction plus a loan of £12,000 together with a personal guarantee on a bank loan of £31,000. When the building of the bridge was complete in 1905 it was due to be opened by Edward VII, but the king was unable to attend, and so Brunner performed the ceremony himself. [Starkey. pp.213–214] By 1911 it had become apparent that the bridge would always operate at a loss, and Brunner assigned his interest in it to Widnes Corporation. "The Times" stated that this action amounted to a "virtual gift of £68,000".
Personal life
In 1864 Brunner married Salome Davies, the daughter of a Liverpool merchant with whom he had six children. Salome died in 1874 and the following year he married Jane Wyman, the daughter of a
Kettering physician and thegoverness to his children. From this marriage three more children, all daughters, were born. In 1891 the Brunners moved from Winnington Hall toWavertree , a suburb of Liverpool. [Koss, p.33.]Amongst other offices held, he was Vice-President of the British Science Guild,
Deputy Lieutenant for the County ofLancashire and Pro-Chancellor of theUniversity of Liverpool . In 1909 the University of Liverpool awarded him thehonorary degree ofDoctor of Laws . [cite web |url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p3766.htm |title=Rt. Hon. Sir John Tomlinson Brunner, 1st Bt. |accessdate=2007-10-01 |publisher=thePeerage.com ] In 1895 he was made theBaronet of Druids Cross in the County ofLancashire and in 1906 he became a member of theprivy council , but he declined offers of apeerage . He died in 1919 at his home inChertsey ,Surrey . His estate amounted to over £906,000 and in addition he had given generous amounts of money to his five married daughters and had transferred investments to his sons. [Koss, p.289.] The baronetcy passed to his eldest son, John Fowler Leece Brunner. [cite web |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/baronetage/baronetsb6.htm |title=The Baronetage of England, Ireland, Nova Scotia,Great Britain and the United Kingdom |accessdate=2007-10-02 |publisher=Leigh Rayment]References
Notes
Bibliography
*cite book | last =Koss | first =Stephen E. | title =Sir John Brunner: Radical Plutocrat 1842-1919 | publisher =
Cambridge University Press | date =1970 | location =London| isbn =0521079063
*cite book | last =Starkey | first =H.F. | title =Old Runcorn | publisher =Halton Borough Council | date =1990 | location =Halton
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.