Hugh Reynolds Rathbone (4 April 1862 – 19 January 1940) was a British merchant and politician, who sat as a member of parliament (MP) and was a member of the noted

Rathbone family In England, the Rathbone family of Liverpool were Nonconformist (Protestantism), nonconformist merchants and ship-owners who were known to engage in philanthropy and public services, public service. The family origins trace back to Gawsworth, Gaw ...

of Liverpool. The eldest son of Richard Reynolds Rathbone and Frances Susannah (née Roberts), he was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, obtaining his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in 1884 and his M.A. in 1888. In October 1888, he married Emily Evelyn Rathbone (1865–1953), his cousin, the daughter of

William Rathbone VI William Rathbone VI (11 February 1819 – 6 March 1902) was an English merchant and businessman noted for his philanthropic and public work. He was also a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1868 and 1895. Bac ...

. They had four children: * Hannah Mary ("Nancy", later Warr 1889–1995) * Richard Reynolds (1891–1962) * Edward Reynolds ("Teddy" 1892–1913) * Hugo Ponsonby (1895–1969) He was a grain merchant, becoming a partner of the Liverpool firm of Ross T. Smyth and Co. in 1889, until his retirement in 1924. He served as a member of the Royal Commission on Wheat Supplies 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 ...

, involved in the purchase and distribution of large supplies of grain for the use of Great Britain and the Allies. He represented the Liverpool Corn Trade Association on the

Mersey Docks and Harbour Board The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC), formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB), owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England. These include the operation of the enclosed north ...

, 1905–1933. He was closely involved with the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

. On the founding of the university in 1903 he became its first treasurer, was president of the council from 1918 to 1924, and in 1920 was elected pro-chancellor. He made many gifts to the university, including parts of the family Liverpool estate, Greenbank, to provide student accommodation. As an active Liberal, he elected as member of parliament (MP) for

Liverpool Wavertree Liverpool Wavertree is a borough constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1997 and every election since has been won by a Labour Party candidate. It has been represented by Paula Barker since 2019. An earlier co ...

at the 1923 general election, but was heavily defeated at the 1924 election. He stood again in 1929 general election, increasing his vote but repeating the third place which he had achieved in 1924. He and his wife Emily founded 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. For example, while the political systems ...

Garmoyle Institute in

Smithdown Road, Liverpool Smithdown Road is a historic street in Liverpool, England, which now forms part of the A562. The area was previously known as Smithdown (Esmedune or Smeedon in Olde English) and dates back to 1086 when it was listed in the Domesday Book. The ca ...

. He was president of Manchester College, Oxford (now named

Harris Manchester College Harris Manchester College (HMC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarian students and moved to Oxford in 1893. It became a full college of the un ...

) from 1925 to 1928. He died on 19 January 1940, aged 77.

References

External links

University of Liverpool Rathbone Collection

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds Rathbone, Hugh 1862 births 1940 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge UK MPs 1923–1924 Businesspeople from Liverpool Politicians from Liverpool

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool constituencies