George Croydon Marks, 1st Baron Marks
Encyclopedia
George Croydon Marks, 1st Baron Marks (9 June 1858 - 24 September 1938), known as Sir George Marks between 1911 and 1929, was an English
engineer
, patent
agent and Liberal
(later Labour
) politician
.
, the eldest of eight children of William Marks and Amelia Adelaide Croydon, where only four survived childhood. One of the first Whitworth Scholars, he was educated at a private day-school in Eltham and at the Royal Arsenal School; his father William Marks had worked at the Royal Arsenal
in Woolwich
. He completed his education at King's College London
.
company, whose works were closely associated with funicular lifts
. Marks was appointed head of the lift department, in which role he was in charge of the installation of the Saltburn Cliff Lift
. 1880, he set up a private practice in Birmingham
and married Margaret Maynard; they never had any children. In 1887 he formed a partnership with Dugald Clerk, forming the international intellectual property
firm Marks & Clerk
, which now operates in 18 countries worldwide. The firm became big enough to move its headquarters to London in 1893, with branches in Birmingham and Manchester
. Developing a number of cliff railways and steep-incline tramcar systems, commissions included the design of the new Gothic
pavilion at the Royal Pier, Aberystwyth
.
Marks continued his engineering practise alongside his patent interests. This included a partnership from 1890 with Sir George Newnes
, which also concentrated on cliff railways, including an early stage development of Babbacombe Cliff Railway
. In 1911 he set up an office in New York
in conjunction with Thomas Edison
.
Marks was a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
and an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
.
in the Liberal landslide general election victory
.
He received a knighthood in 1911, served at the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War, and was awarded the CBE
for work as a commissioner for the dilution of labour. He held his Parliamentary seat until it was abolished at the 1918 general election
, when he was returned for the new Northern Division of Cornwall
. He held that seat until his defeat at the 1924 general election
.
In 1929, he left the Liberals and joined Ramsay Macdonald
's Labour Party. His almost immediate reward came when he was raised to the peerage
as Baron Marks, of Woolwich in the County of Kent, becoming one of the first two Labour peers to be created.
, Dorset
in September 1938, aged 80. As he had no children, his peerage died with him.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
agent and Liberal
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...
(later Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
) politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Background and education
Marks was born in Eltham in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, the eldest of eight children of William Marks and Amelia Adelaide Croydon, where only four survived childhood. One of the first Whitworth Scholars, he was educated at a private day-school in Eltham and at the Royal Arsenal School; his father William Marks had worked at the Royal Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
in Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
. He completed his education at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Business career
Noted by many as a disciple of Brunel, he joined Sir Richard Tangye'sRichard Tangye
Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye was a British manufacturer of engines and other heavy equipment.-Biography:...
company, whose works were closely associated with funicular lifts
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
. Marks was appointed head of the lift department, in which role he was in charge of the installation of the Saltburn Cliff Lift
Saltburn Cliff Lift
The Saltburn Cliff Lift is a funicular railway located in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England...
. 1880, he set up a private practice in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and married Margaret Maynard; they never had any children. In 1887 he formed a partnership with Dugald Clerk, forming the international intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
firm Marks & Clerk
Marks & Clerk
Marks & Clerk is an international firm of patent and trade mark attorneys with an associated intellectual property law firm Marks & Clerk Solicitors...
, which now operates in 18 countries worldwide. The firm became big enough to move its headquarters to London in 1893, with branches in Birmingham and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Developing a number of cliff railways and steep-incline tramcar systems, commissions included the design of the new Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
pavilion at the Royal Pier, Aberystwyth
Royal Pier, Aberystwyth
The Royal Pier, Aberystwyth is a pleasure pier located in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. The first pier to open in Wales in 1865, after a series of storm attacks, it is now a much shortened version of its originally constructed length of .-Construction:...
.
Marks continued his engineering practise alongside his patent interests. This included a partnership from 1890 with Sir George Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
, which also concentrated on cliff railways, including an early stage development of Babbacombe Cliff Railway
Babbacombe Cliff Railway
Babbacombe Cliff Railway is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach, and is owned and operated by the Torbay Council. The line runs march to end of october from 9:30am to 5.55pm...
. In 1911 he set up an office in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in conjunction with Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
.
Marks was a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is the British engineering society based in central London, representing mechanical engineering. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of professional Engineers...
and an Associate Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
.
Political career
In 1906, Marks was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the North-Eastern or Launceston Division of CornwallLaunceston (UK Parliament constituency)
Launceston, also known at some periods as Dunheved, was a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the British House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and one member from 1832 until 1918...
in the Liberal landslide general election victory
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
.
He received a knighthood in 1911, served at the Ministry of Munitions during the First World War, and was awarded the CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for work as a commissioner for the dilution of labour. He held his Parliamentary seat until it was abolished at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, when he was returned for the new Northern Division of Cornwall
North Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
North Cornwall is a county 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 :...
. He held that seat until his defeat at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
.
In 1929, he left the Liberals and joined Ramsay Macdonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
's Labour Party. His almost immediate reward came when he was raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Marks, of Woolwich in the County of Kent, becoming one of the first two Labour peers to be created.
Death
Marks continued his engineering and business activities and died at his home in PoolePoole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in September 1938, aged 80. As he had no children, his peerage died with him.
Awards
- Associate Member, Institution of Civil Engineers
- Member, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
- Commander, Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) 1917
- 1st Baron Marks, of Woolwich, July 16, 1929