George Melly (20 August 1830 – 27 February 1894)[1] was an English merchant and shipowner and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1875.
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Life edit
Melly was the son of Andre Melly and his wife Ellen Greg, daughter of Samuel Greg of Manchester. He was educated at Rugby School and became a merchant and shipowner. He was a member of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, and a director of the Union Marine Insurance Co. He was a J.P. for Liverpool and was major of the 4th Lancashire Artillery Volunteers from 1859 to March 1866. He authored a number of books and pamphlets.[2]
Melly stood unsuccessfully for Parliament at a by-election in April 1862 in Preston,[3] and in Stoke-upon-Trent at the 1865 general election.[4] Melly was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-upon-Trent at a by-election in February 1868 following the resignation of the Conservative MP Alexander Beresford Hope.[5] He was re-elected at the general election in November 1868,[6] and in 1874,[7] and held the seat until his resignation on 5 February 1875 by taking the Chiltern Hundreds.[8]
Melly died at the age of 63.
Melly married Sarah Elizabeth Mesnard Bright, daughter of Samuel Bright, of Liverpool, in 1852.[2] They had eight children of whom seven survived. Their children included the educationalist Florence Elizabeth Melly who was born in 1856.[9]
He was the ancestor of George Melly, the jazz singer and writer,[10] and Andrée Melly, the actress.
Publications edit
- Khartoum and the Blue and White Niles
- School Experiences of a Fag
- Compulsory Education
- Reformatory System
- Italy
- Future of the Working Classes
References edit
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 5)
- ^ a b Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 248. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ^ Craig, pages 290–291
- ^ "No. 23355". The London Gazette. 25 February 1868. p. 905.
- ^ "No. 23443". The London Gazette. 20 November 1868. p. 5996.
- ^ "No. 24064". The London Gazette. 10 February 1874. p. 592.
- ^ Department of Information Services (14 January 2010). "Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1850" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ Stewart, Elizabeth J. (24 May 2012). Melly, George (1830–1894), politician and merchant. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/55914.
- ^ Melly, George (2006). Owning Up: The Trilogy. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-14102-554-4.