Philip Henry Muntz
Encyclopedia
Philip Henry Muntz was a British
businessman and Liberal
politician. He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly-growing industrial town of Birmingham
in the mid-nineteenth century.
. Philip Henry was the son of Philip Frederick Muntz, who had moved from France to Birmingham in the late eighteenth century, and established the metal working business of Muntz & Purden. He married his business partner's daughter Catherine and made his residence at Selly Hall, Selly Oak
, Worcestershire
. Philip Henry was the youngest of the couple's children, born in the same year as his father's death.
Following education at Shrewsbury School
, Muntz entered business as a merchant in Birmingham. In 1831 he married Wilhelmine D'Olhofen, daughter of the finance minister of the Grand Duchy of Baden
.
, Philip was active in Radical
politics. In August 1838 they addressed a large Chartist
meeting was held near Birmingham. The two brothers were selected as part of an eight-person delegation to represent the English Midlands at a "general convention of the industrial classes" in London, which was to present the People's Charter
to parliament.
under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
. The meeting unanimously decided to begin the process of petitioning for a charter, which was granted in October of the following year. Birmingham was duly incorporated as a municipal borough
in November 1838, and Muntz was elected as an alderman
on the new town council. In 1839 he was elected as the second mayor
of the borough, holding the office for two terms. The new town council was dismissed by many Radicals who saw as it as a creation of the rival Whigs. In 1839 riots broke out in the Bull Ring, leading to the government taking over policing in Birmingham and creating a force under the control of the Home Office
. The position of the Radicals on the council was undermined by the militant followers of Feargus O'Connor
who advocated resisting the "government police" by armed means. When Muntz tried to chair a meeting of ratepayers on the policing situation in November 1839, he was booed and jeered. He remained a member of the town council until 1856.
to connect the West Midlands conurbation
to the rest of the country. In 1845 Muntz formed part of the committee promoting the South Staffordshire Junction Railway
, in February 1846 he was appointed auditor of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
and later in the year he became chairman of the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway. He was also a director of the Stratford-on-Avon Railway.
Parliamentary Borough of Birmingham
from 1840 to his death in 1857. In 1859 a general election
was called. The election was the first at which a single Liberal Party
uniting the Whigs, Radicals and Peelites, stood. Muntz was appointed the chairman of the committee formed to ensure the re-election of the two Liberal MPs, John Bright
and William Scholefield
, for the two-seat constituency.
Under the Second Reform Act
of 1867, Birmingham's parliamentary representation was increased to three MPs. The change came into effect at the next general election in 1868
, at a meeting of the Birmingham Liberal Association Muntz was chosen to contest the seat along with the two sitting MPs Bright and George Dixon
(who had replaced Scholefield in 1857). The Birmingham Daily Post noted the candidacy was "approved by a large section of the manufacturers on other than political grounds. Mr Muntz, as a manufacturer himself, will represent the indutrial interest of the town, which is assuredly of sufficient importance to deserve a guardian in the new Parliament". The Liberal Election Committee instituted a "Vote As You're Told" arrangement, successfully manipulating the limited voting system to elect three Liberal MPs.
In April 1870 Muntz was appointed to the Royal Commission
on the Over-Regulation Purchase System. A royal warrant
of 1866 had regulated payments paid for promotion and received on retirement from the British Army
: the commission was tasked with examining whether payments above these levels were being made and by whom.
Muntz was re-elected on in 1874
and 1880
, retiring due to age and ill health before the 1885 general election
.
of the town's incorporation. Muntz was granted the freedom of the borough
in recognition of his efforts to secure incorporation, and as the only surviving member of the first town council. The resolution was passed unanimously by the town council "for the invaluable privileges he had conferred upon this community through his and others' exertions, and in recognition of his subsequent services in the discharge of the duties of councillor, alderman, mayor, justice of the peace
and representative of the borough of Birmingham in Parliament".
Muntz suffered a "paralytic seizure" on 5 December 1888, from which he was slowly recovering when he suffered a second attack on Christmas Eve and died at his home at Leamington Spa
, Warwickshire
of the morning of Christmas Day. He was buried at Leamington Cemetery on 28 December, and was survived by two sons.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman 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...
politician. He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly-growing industrial town of 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...
in the mid-nineteenth century.
Early life and family
The Muntz family originated in modern LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Philip Henry was the son of Philip Frederick Muntz, who had moved from France to Birmingham in the late eighteenth century, and established the metal working business of Muntz & Purden. He married his business partner's daughter Catherine and made his residence at Selly Hall, Selly Oak
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is a residential suburban district in south-west Birmingham, England. The suburb is bordered by Bournbrook and Selly Park to the north-east, Edgbaston and Harborne to the north, Weoley Castle and Weoley Hill to the west, and Bournville to the south...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. Philip Henry was the youngest of the couple's children, born in the same year as his father's death.
Following education at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
, Muntz entered business as a merchant in Birmingham. In 1831 he married Wilhelmine D'Olhofen, daughter of the finance minister of the Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
.
Chartism
Together with his elder brother, George Frederic MuntzGeorge Frederic Muntz
George Frederick Muntz was an industrialist from Birmingham, England and a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for the Birmingham constituency from 1840 until his death....
, Philip was active in Radical
Radicals (UK)
The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century, who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to transform the Whigs into the Liberal Party.-Background:...
politics. In August 1838 they addressed a large Chartist
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
meeting was held near Birmingham. The two brothers were selected as part of an eight-person delegation to represent the English Midlands at a "general convention of the industrial classes" in London, which was to present the People's Charter
People's Charter
People's Charter may refer to:* People's Charter of 1838 in the United Kingdom* People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress in Fiji* The People's Charter A political movement in the United Kingdom...
to parliament.
Mayor of Birmingham
In March 1837 Muntz organised a meeting to decide on whether Birmingham should apply for a charter of incorporationRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
. The meeting unanimously decided to begin the process of petitioning for a charter, which was granted in October of the following year. Birmingham was duly incorporated as a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
in November 1838, and Muntz was elected as 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...
on the new town council. In 1839 he was elected as the second mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the borough, holding the office for two terms. The new town council was dismissed by many Radicals who saw as it as a creation of the rival Whigs. In 1839 riots broke out in the Bull Ring, leading to the government taking over policing in Birmingham and creating a force under the control of the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. The position of the Radicals on the council was undermined by the militant followers of Feargus O'Connor
Feargus O'Connor
Feargus Edward O'Connor was an Irish Chartist leader and advocate of the Land Plan.- Background :Feargus O'Connor was born into a prominent Irish Protestant family, the son of Irish Nationalist politician Roger O'Connor...
who advocated resisting the "government police" by armed means. When Muntz tried to chair a meeting of ratepayers on the policing situation in November 1839, he was booed and jeered. He remained a member of the town council until 1856.
Railway interests
By the 1840s numerous railways were being promotedRailway Mania
The Railway Mania was an instance of speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
to connect the West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
to the rest of the country. In 1845 Muntz formed part of the committee promoting the South Staffordshire Junction Railway
South Staffordshire Line
The South Staffordshire Line was a railway line that connected Lichfield in Staffordshire, England with Dudley, formerly in Worcestershire. However, it joined the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's line just north of Dudley Station, where it, in essence, continued to Stourbridge, in...
, in February 1846 he was appointed auditor of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
and later in the year he became chairman of the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway. He was also a director of the Stratford-on-Avon Railway.
Parliamentary politics
Muntz's brother, George, was Radical member of parliamentMember 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,...
Parliamentary Borough of Birmingham
Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Birmingham was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the city of Birmingham, in what is now the West Midlands Metropolitan County, but at the time was Warwickshire.-Boundaries and History:...
from 1840 to his death in 1857. In 1859 a general election
United Kingdom general election, 1859
In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...
was called. The election was the first at which a single 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...
uniting the Whigs, Radicals and Peelites, stood. Muntz was appointed the chairman of the committee formed to ensure the re-election of the two Liberal MPs, John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
and William Scholefield
William Scholefield
William Scholefield was a British businessman and Liberal politician. He was a leading figure in the politics of the rapidly-growing industrial town of Birmingham in the mid-nineteenth century.-Early life and family:...
, for the two-seat constituency.
Under the Second Reform Act
Reform Act 1867
The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised the urban male working class in England and Wales....
of 1867, Birmingham's parliamentary representation was increased to three MPs. The change came into effect at the next general election in 1868
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
, at a meeting of the Birmingham Liberal Association Muntz was chosen to contest the seat along with the two sitting MPs Bright and George Dixon
George Dixon (MP)
George Dixon was English Liberal politician who was active in local government in Birmingham and sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1867 and 1898. He was a major proponent of education for all children.-Life:...
(who had replaced Scholefield in 1857). The Birmingham Daily Post noted the candidacy was "approved by a large section of the manufacturers on other than political grounds. Mr Muntz, as a manufacturer himself, will represent the indutrial interest of the town, which is assuredly of sufficient importance to deserve a guardian in the new Parliament". The Liberal Election Committee instituted a "Vote As You're Told" arrangement, successfully manipulating the limited voting system to elect three Liberal MPs.
In April 1870 Muntz was appointed to the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on the Over-Regulation Purchase System. A royal warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
of 1866 had regulated payments paid for promotion and received on retirement from the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
: the commission was tasked with examining whether payments above these levels were being made and by whom.
Muntz was re-elected on in 1874
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
and 1880
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, retiring due to age and ill health before 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:...
.
Later life
In October 1888 Birmingham Corporation celebarated the golden jubileeGolden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
of the town's incorporation. Muntz was granted the freedom of the borough
Honorary Freedom of the City of Birmingham
Honorary Freemen of the City of BirminghamThe City of Birmingham, England has granted Honorary Freedom to individuals and military organisations since 1888. Designation as a Freeman of the City is an honorary title and, subject to a two thirds majority of the Council, is granted to persons of...
in recognition of his efforts to secure incorporation, and as the only surviving member of the first town council. The resolution was passed unanimously by the town council "for the invaluable privileges he had conferred upon this community through his and others' exertions, and in recognition of his subsequent services in the discharge of the duties of councillor, alderman, mayor, justice of the peace
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...
and representative of the borough of Birmingham in Parliament".
Muntz suffered a "paralytic seizure" on 5 December 1888, from which he was slowly recovering when he suffered a second attack on Christmas Eve and died at his home at Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
of the morning of Christmas Day. He was buried at Leamington Cemetery on 28 December, and was survived by two sons.