Sir Charles Sydney Jones (7 February 1872 – 16 February 1947) was an English shipowner and

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. For example, while the political systems ...

politician.

Family and education

Jones was the son of Charles William Jones, a shipowner The Times, 7 December 1923 p6 from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He attended

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

and

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. He never married.''Who was Who'', OUP 2007 In religion Jones was a Unitarian, a member of the Unitarian Church in Ullet Road, Liverpool. In 1921 he was elected President of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association. He got involved in public service through the church and later worked at the Liverpool University

Settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

in boys clubs and in the establishment of maternity and ante-natal clinics.The Times, 18 February 1947 p6

Career

Jones followed his father into the shipping industry. He was a member of the firm of Alfred Holt and Co. of Liverpool, the owners of the Blue Funnel shipping line. He was sometime Chairman of the Liverpool Steamship Owners' Association.

Politics

Local politics

Jones entered municipal politics in Liverpool first becoming a member of the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

in 1908. He was later created an

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 ...

and served as

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 Liverpool from 1938 to 1942. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Lancashire The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient office, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...

for the year 1929-1930 and also served as a Justice of the Peace. Jones was

knighted 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 ...

in the

1937 Coronation Honours The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI. Royal Honours Order of the Thistle * The Queen Royal Victorian Chain * The Queen * Queen Mary * Clive, Baron Wigram Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) * The Que ...

. During the early years of Second World War, when the City was the subject of severe bombing attacks from the enemy, he was a prominent member of the Liverpool Emergency Committee and he set up the Air Raid Distress Fund to help victims of the bombing. He later had the honour, as Lord Mayor, of greeting Prime Minister,

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

on his surprise visit to Liverpool on 27 September 1941. He was made an honorary

freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of the City of Liverpool.

Education

Jones had a particular interest in secondary and further education. He was a long serving member of the City Council's Education Committee. He was a member of the Council of

Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...

and variously the University's Treasurer (1918–1930), President of the Council of the University (1930–1936) and Pro-Chancellor (1936–1942). The institution later rewarded him with an Honorary

Doctorate of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

. He was a significant benefactor of the University. When he died, he left Liverpool University a considerable legacy consisting of his home and effects and the residue of his estate after other bequests. Jones was an avid art collector. Among the items he left to the University were illuminated manuscripts, watercolours and ceramics. His collections were not inherited family heirlooms but were collected by him during his lifetime. He had already made a gift to the University of his collection of fine English china in 1939.

Parliamentary candidate

Jones was selected as Liberal candidate for the constituency of Liverpool West Derby for the general election of 1923. In a straight fight with the sitting

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP, Sir

William Hall William Hall, Will Hall or Bill Hall may refer to: Actors *William Brad Hall (born 1958), American actor * William Hall (actor), American actor *William Hall (actor, born 1903) (1903–1986), American actor * William Hall Jr. (died 2025), American ...

, he gained a majority of 1,990 votes.F W S Craig, ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949''; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949 p182 The 1922 general election had also been a straight fight but on that occasion Sir William Hall had been opposed by a Labour candidate with no Liberal intervention. Whether this taking it in turns to contest the seat represented some kind of formal arrangement between the parties is not clear but it was reported that the Labour Party was working with Jones in the election and this was expected to be politically very helpful. However, by the 1924 general election, the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

Party had revived and the contest in West Derby was now a three-cornered affair with Jones facing a new Conservative opponent, John Sandeman Allen as well as Labour's T G Adams. As a result, Jones lost the seat to the Conservatives, with Labour gaining second place. He did not stand for Parliament again. He was appointed

in 1929.

Death

In 1945, at the age of 73, Jones was attacked by burglars at his then home in

Sefton Park Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a conservation district of the same name, It is the largest public park in Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region. Suburbs neighbouring the park include Toxteth, Aigb ...

, suffered head injuries, and was left in a critical condition. He made a gradual recovery but the injuries left him weakened. Jones died at his home, Eastbourne,

Princes Park, Liverpool Prince's Park in Toxteth, Liverpool, England, is a municipal park, south east of Liverpool city centre. In 2009, its status was upgraded to a Grade II* Historic Park by English Heritage. History The park was originally a private developmen ...

aged 75 years.

Papers

A collection of papers consisting of the Grant of Arms by

Garter Principal King of Arms Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior king of arms and officer of arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The position has ...

and

Norroy King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the provincial King of Arms at the College of Arms with jurisdiction over England north of the River Trent, Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of ...

and a device or badge to Jones (26 March 1929), a copy of his will and a photograph of Nettlestead Chace, his former residence, are kept in the archives at Liverpool University.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sydney 1872 births 1947 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1923–1924 People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Liberal Party (UK) councillors in Liverpool Mayors of Liverpool Businesspeople from Liverpool Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies High sheriffs of Lancashire Knights Bachelor