Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Anthony Gadie T.D. (7 September 1868 – 24 August 1948) was an English businessman and Conservative Party politician from

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. Born in a small cottage in

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds ...

, he became a builder and then an estate agent, a

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

of Bradford and a local councillor and

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

for 45 years. He served as an army officer in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1920s, but is best known for his involvement with construction of the

Scar House Reservoir Scar House Reservoir is the second of the three reservoirs in Nidderdale, Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, England, the others are Angram Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir. Between them they attract around 150,000 visitors a year. Angram an ...

Career

Gadie began his career as a builder, and made his name developing "Gadie's garden suburb" at Allerton. He later founded an estate agency business, Anthony Gadie & Sons. He served in the army during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in the 2nd West Riding Brigade of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

, where he was promoted to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 29 August 1914.

Politics

Gadie was a member of

Bradford City Council City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is the local authority of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. Bradford has had an elected council since 1847, which has been reformed on several occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metr ...

from 1900 to 1945. and was the

of Bradford from 1920 to 1921. He also served as chair of the corporation's Water Committee, playing a big part in establishing the

, which was finally completed in 1936. Scar House was the second of two reservoirs built at great cost by Bradford Council in

Upper Nidderdale Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales (although outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park) in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows east from its source, then ...

to supply the city's needs. As Lord Mayor, Gadie cut the sod for the reservoir on 5 October 1931 and, 15 years later, he placed the last stone in position at the topping-out ceremony on 7 September 1936. The reservoir was dismissed by some as a waste of money, and known as "Gadie's Folly". However, during the droughts of 1933 and 1934, Bradford had all the water it needed. Gadie was Chairman of the Bradford Conservative and Unionist Association from 1924 to 1947, and at the 1924 general election he was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

as the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Bradford Central Bradford Central was a United Kingdom constituencies, parliamentary constituency in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Ki ...

, winning the seat from the sitting Labour Party MP William Leach on a swing of 3.4%. However, Leach re-gained the seat at the 1929 general election, and after his defeat Gadie did not stand for

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

again. It was announced in

King's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are ...

in 1935 that he was to be

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed "for political and public services in Bradford". The title was conferred in a ceremony at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on 10 July 1935.

Later life

Gadie was a charter member and President of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

in Bradford in 1924–25, and a

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

who rose to become Provincial Grand Master for the Masonic Province of the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was awarded the freedom of the city of Bradford in October 1944. He died on 24 August 1948, aged 79, and is buried in the

Undercliffe Cemetery Undercliffe Cemetery is located between Otley Road and Undercliffe Lane in the Bolton and Undercliffe ward, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The cemetery stands atop a hillside overlooking the city and contains Victorian era, Victorian funerar ...

, Bradford. His address at time of death was listed as "Oakwood", Toller Lane, Bradford.

References

External links

*
Photo of Anthony Gadie's grave
in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadie, Anthony 1868 births 1948 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1924–1929 Mayors of Bradford British Army personnel of World War I Knights Bachelor 20th-century English businesspeople Royal Artillery officers