Sir Thomas Sowler (7 July 1818 – 4 April 1891) was an English newspaper proprietor in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Early life

Thomas Sowler was born in Manchester to Thomas and Helen Sowler, one of three sons and three daughters. He bore the same name as his father, who in common with his grandfather, had been a printer. The family claimed descent from a Baron Sowler of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

and carried on their business initially at Hunt's Bank and later in St Ann's Square, both in Manchester. Thomas Sowler senior established the '' Manchester Courier'' newspaper in 1825 and upon his death the business was passed to Thomas junior, who had been educated at

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). ...

, and another son, John.

Career

The brothers sold the book-selling part of their father's business and in 1864 converted the newspaper from a weekly to a daily publication, eventually expanding it from the then common four-page format to one that had twelve or more pages. John died in 1871, leaving Thomas as the sole proprietor of the Conservative Party-supporting organ. In 1874, Sowler established the '' Manchester Evening Mail'' and in 1889 he was appointed as the first president of the restructured National Association of Journalists. Sowler was a director of the

Manchester Royal Exchange The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal Exc ...

and on the board of several other businesses, as well as being involved with other institutions such as the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society and the Manchester Natural History Society. He was also a co-founder of the Manchester Free Library and the first secretary of the Manchester branch of the Church Defence Association. Away from business, Sowler was involved with the military from the time of the "Defence not Defiance" movement in the 1860s. He joined the 19th Lancashire Volunteer Artillery as a gunner and rose through the ranks to become Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the regiment. In 1874, he resigned from that position and soon after was appointed as successor to the recently dead John Isaac Mawson, who had been Honorary Colonel of the regiment.

Politics

In the 1886 general election, Sowler stood as a Conservative Party candidate in the

Manchester South Manchester South was one of six Parliamentary constituency, parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the Manchester (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary Borough of Manchester, England. It returned one Member of P ...

constituency, where he lost by around 350 votes to Sir Henry Roscoe. He was a Justice of the Peace and chairman of both the Manchester Conservative Association and the Conservative Club around the time of his being appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in the

1890 New Year Honours The 1890 New Year Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British Raj, British India. They were announced in ''The Times'' on 1 Jan ...

Death and family

Sowler lived at Oak Bank,

Victoria Park, Manchester Victoria Park is a suburban area of Manchester, England. Victoria Park lies approximately two miles south of Manchester city centre, between Rusholme and Longsight. History and description In 1836, a unique enterprise was undertaken by Ri ...

from 1877. He died there on 4 April 1891 and was buried at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon. He had married on 25 July 1866 and had several children. His wife, Emily, was the daughter of James Yates, a bleacher. Sowler's sons, notably Thomas and Harry, continued to run his newspapers as a limited company and expanded the stable to include titles such as the '' Manchester Examiner''.

References

Notes Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Sowler, Thomas 1818 births 1891 deaths People educated at Manchester Grammar School English newspaper founders Businesspeople from Manchester Knights Bachelor Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates English justices of the peace 19th-century English businesspeople Mass media people from Manchester