Briggs Priestley was an English cloth manufacturer and Liberal Party

Liberal Party (UK)

The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

 politician from Bradford

Bradford

Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

 in West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

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Biography

Priestley was born at Thornton, West Yorkshire. He started work as a millhand in the factory of Craven and Harrop at Thornton, but worked his way up and in 1858, he entered into partnership with Francis Craven. In 1860 he partnered his brother Henry in the Shearbridge Mills, and then took over the Atlas Mills in Laisterdyke

Laisterdyke

Laisterdyke is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire situated to the east of the city on the border with Leeds and located in the Bradford Moor ward and in the East Bradford parliamentary constituency....

. He also had worsted mills in Thornton. His company was one of the pioneers in manufacturing waterproof fabrics.

In 1867 Priestley was elected to the Bradford Town Council and was responsible for the provision of a park in Horton

Horton Park, Bradford

Horton Park is a public park in Bradford, England, located to the west of the city in Great Horton. It was opened on May 25, 1878 on land purchased by Bradford Council in 1873....

 and for the establishment of an art gallery and museum in Bradford. He established a free school for orphan children in New Leeds district in 1868 and two years later another in the Bolton Road. In 1877 he became Mayor of Bradford and raised funding for Bradford College. He became an alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 in 1879 and retired from the council in 1880. Priestley was member of the Council of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, the Bradford Board of Guardians and the Infirmary Board and was a J.P.

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

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Priestley was an advanced liberal and became president of the East Bradford Liberal Association. He was elected as Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for Pudsey

Pudsey (UK Parliament constituency)

Pudsey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...

 at the 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

 and held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1900 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1900

-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...

. He donated the bandstand at Pudsey. Priestley lived at Ferncliffe, Appleby Bridge where he died at the age of 76. His son William

William Edward Briggs Priestley

Sir William Edward Briggs Priestley was an Liberal politician from the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was Member of Parliament for Bradford East from 1906 to 1918....

 was subsequently MP for Bradford East

Bradford East (UK Parliament constituency)

Bradford East is the name of a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency originally existed from 1885 to 1974 and was recreated for the 2010 general election, electing one Member of Parliament by the first past the post...

, and his youngest son Sir Arthur

Arthur Priestley

Sir Arthur Alexander Priestley was an English Liberal Party politician and cricketer. After three unsuccessful candidacies he held a seat in the House of Commons from 1900 to 1918...

 was MP for Grantham

Grantham (UK Parliament constituency)

Grantham was a Parliamentary constituency in Lincolnshire, England.The constituency was created in 1468 as a parliamentary borough which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until the union with Scotland, and then to the Parliament of Great Britain...

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External links