William Edward Baxter (24 June 1825 – 10 August 1890) was a Scottish businessman,

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician and travel writer.

Background and education

Born in Dundee, Angus, Baxter was educated at the

High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He was the son of Edward Baxter, a benefactor and reformer who had opposed the

corn laws The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word ''corn'' in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley. They wer ...

. He became a partner in his father's firm of Edward Baxter & Co. (afterwards W. E. Baxter & Co.).

Political career

Baxter was

Member of Parliament for Montrose Burghs from 1855 to 1885, and served under

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

Secretary to the Admiralty S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...

from 1868 to 1871 and as

Financial Secretary to the Treasury The financial secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in His Majesty's Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Excheq ...

from 1871 to 1873. He was appointed a Privy Councillor in 1873. He was also

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of the first day of the 1883

Co-operative Congress The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s. Members of Co-operatives UK ...

. He retired from Parliament in 1885. When the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

split over the issue of

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...

in 1886, Baxter supported the Unionist faction until his death.

Family

William Edward Baxter was the grandson of William Baxter, the founder of the Baxter Brothers textile business. His uncle, Sir David Baxter, was a noted businessman and philanthropist and his aunt,

Mary Ann Baxter Mary Ann Baxter (1801 – 19 December 1884) was a noted philanthropist in the Scottish city of Dundee. Family Mary Ann Baxter was the daughter of William Baxter, founder of the Baxter Brothers And Co. Ltd. textile business. She outlived all of ...

was the co-founder of

University College, Dundee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

William Edward Baxter Vanity Fair 1885-04-25

W. E. Baxter's eldest son was Edward Armitstead Baxter who married Isobel Scott-Elliot. His second son, Sir George Washington Baxter (1853–1926), followed his father into politics, being a leading figure in the Unionist Party in Scotland in the early 20th-century. In 1908 he sought election in Dundee as a

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a politic ...

candidate, but was defeated by the

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

. Sir George, was active in the running of the Liberal Unionist and Unionist Parties in Dundee, served as President of the Scottish Unionist Association in 1920. Sir George also continued the family involvement with University College, serving as its president.

Writings

Baxter published various works on foreign travel. * ''Impressions of Central and Southern Europe,'' London, 1850, 8vo. * ''The Tagus and the Tiber, or Notes of Travel in Portugal, Spain, and Italy,'' London, 1852, 2 vols. 8vo. * ''America and the Americans,'' London, 1855, 8vo. * ''Hints to Thinkers, or Lectures for the Times,'' London, 1860, 8vo.

Personal life

After a long period of ill health, W. E. Baxter died at his home, Kincaldrum House, near

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a pop ...

in August 1890. In November 1847, he married Janet, eldest daughter of J. Home Scott, a solicitor of Dundee. By her he had two sons and five daughters.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, William Edward 1825 births 1890 deaths People educated at the High School of Dundee Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Scottish Liberal Party MPs UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 Presidents of Co-operative Congress Writers from Dundee 19th-century Scottish businesspeople 19th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish writers Scottish travel writers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Liberal Unionist Party politicians Politicians from Dundee Businesspeople from Dundee