James Sidebottom (June 1824 – 14 February 1871) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician. He was the youngest son of Edward Sidebottom, and was born at "The Hydes",

Stalybridge Stalybridge () is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, it had a population of 26,830. Historic counties of England, Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire, it is east o ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

. The Sidebottoms were a prominent family in the town, both in business and administrative matters. James attended

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...

before becoming a member of the family

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

manufacturing firm of Edward Sidebottom and Sons.Samuel Hill, ''Bygone Stalybridge, Traditional - Historical - Biographical'', Stalybridge, 1907''Death of Mr Sidebottom M.P.'', The Times, 16 February 1871, p.5''Our New Members of Parliament'', The Times, 5 December 1868, p.7 Sidebottom entered the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

of Stalybridge as a member of the police commissioners. When the town was incorporated as a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1857, he was elected as one of the corporation's first

aldermen An alderman is a member of a 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, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

. In 1864 he was chosen as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the borough, and held the office for three years in succession. As mayor he laid the foundation stone of the Victoria Market Hall in 1868. In

1868 Events January * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...

was enfranchised as a

parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

, returning one Member of Parliament (MP) 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 ...

. Sidebottom was nominated as the

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 ...

candidate, and was elected as the town's first MP. He became ill in 1870, and died at his residence "Acre Banks", Stalybridge, in February 1871, aged 46.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sidebottom, James 1824 births 1871 deaths People from Stalybridge Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1868–1874 Mayors of places in Cheshire People educated at Manchester Grammar School