William Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme
Encyclopedia
William Hulme Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme, DL
(25 March 1888 - 27 May 1949) was the son of William Hesketh Lever and Elizabeth Ellen, daughter of Crompton Hulme of Bolton.
He was educated at Eton College
and graduated from Cambridge University in 1913 with a Masters degree in the Arts. William Hulme Lever spent his early years at Thornton Manor
which he inherited after his father's death in 1925.
He married Winifred Agnes Lloyd, daughter of Lt. Col. J. E. Lloyd, on 20 January 1937.
in 1930. His company Lever Brothers merged with Margarine Unie that year.
from 1911. In response to civil unrest by the Congolese the company 'demanded more troops, more police and more brutality. When the railway lines around the Congo River rapids were rebuilt between 1923 and 1932 the regime mobilised 68,000 forced labourers of which 7,700 died'. Due to involvement with the Belgium Congo there was a stark contrast to how the Leverhulmes are remembered at home in England.
, on 17 April 1874. In 1936 William Hulme Lever paid for many improvements including widening the chancel, providing choir stalls, communion table and pulpit. He arranged for a new marble floor and the communion dais was finished with polished Hopton Wood stone. The chancel walls and the organ gallery were lined with carved Austrian oak panelling. He paid for two stained glass windows, one illustrating the ‘Parable of the Talents
’ in memory of his father and another, ‘The Resurrection Morning’ in memory his mother.
. A valuable bust of William Hulme Lever was stolen in 2009 from the plinth near his parent's tombs in Christ Church, Port Sunlight. It is feared it may be melted down for scrap.
DL
DL, dL, or dl may stand for:Measurement of volume* the symbol of the decilitre , an SI unit of measurement of capacity or volume Science and tech* Data link, a computer connection for transmitting data...
(25 March 1888 - 27 May 1949) was the son of William Hesketh Lever and Elizabeth Ellen, daughter of Crompton Hulme of Bolton.
He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and graduated from Cambridge University in 1913 with a Masters degree in the Arts. William Hulme Lever spent his early years at Thornton Manor
Thornton Manor
Thornton Manor is a large house in the village of Thornton Hough, Wirral, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. The house was first built in the middle of the 19th century and has been altered and extended in a number of phases since...
which he inherited after his father's death in 1925.
Family
He married twice, his first wife was Marion Beatrice Smith, daughter of Bryce Smith who he married 13 April 1912 and divorced in 1936. They had three children. Elizabeth Ruth Lever was born 9 April 1913. She died 16 April 1972. His son Philip William Bryce Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme was born 1 July 1915 and died 4 July 2000. His daughter Rosemary Gertrude Alexandra Lever was born 23 April 1919.He married Winifred Agnes Lloyd, daughter of Lt. Col. J. E. Lloyd, on 20 January 1937.
Business
William Hulme Lever was a co-founder of UnileverUnilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
in 1930. His company Lever Brothers merged with Margarine Unie that year.
Masonic Movement
Due to the merger of the two firms many staff employed at the Warrington factory were moved to London, senior managers amongst them, this had the effect if disturbing attendance at the Masonic lodges in Lever Brothers factory town, as a result a new lodge was formed named the Mersey Lodge, no. 5434. The Petition to form Mersey Lodge was signed by the Master and Wardens of Royal Alfred Lodge on the 8th September 1933. As a result Mersey Lodge was Consecrated on 19 January 1934.Belgium Congo
Lever brothers operated from the Belgian CongoBelgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
from 1911. In response to civil unrest by the Congolese the company 'demanded more troops, more police and more brutality. When the railway lines around the Congo River rapids were rebuilt between 1923 and 1932 the regime mobilised 68,000 forced labourers of which 7,700 died'. Due to involvement with the Belgium Congo there was a stark contrast to how the Leverhulmes are remembered at home in England.
United Reformed Church of St Andrew and St George, Bolton
William Hulme Lever's parents married at the United Reformed Church of St Andrew and St George in BoltonBolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, on 17 April 1874. In 1936 William Hulme Lever paid for many improvements including widening the chancel, providing choir stalls, communion table and pulpit. He arranged for a new marble floor and the communion dais was finished with polished Hopton Wood stone. The chancel walls and the organ gallery were lined with carved Austrian oak panelling. He paid for two stained glass windows, one illustrating the ‘Parable of the Talents
Parable of the Talents
The Parable of the talents or minas, , is one of the well known parables of Jesus. It appears in two of the Canonical gospels of the New Testament. The differences between Matthew and the Luke are substantial, and the two parables may not be derived from the same source...
’ in memory of his father and another, ‘The Resurrection Morning’ in memory his mother.
Titles, Styles & Honours
- Captain in the service of the 4th/5th Cheshire Regiment (Territorial Army)
- High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1923
- Governor of Lever Brothers and Unilever
- 2nd Viscount Leverhulme, of the Western Isles, cos Inverness and Ross and Cromarty, 7 May 1925
- 2nd Baron Leverhulme, of Bolton-le-Moors, co. Lancaster, 7 May 1925
- 2nd Baronet Lever, 7 May 1925
- Knight of Justice, Order of St. John of Jerusalem (K.St.J.)
- Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for Cheshire
- Office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of Cheshire
- Rank of Honorary Air Commodore in the service of the No. 919/923 (West Lancashire) Balloon Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force
- Pro-Chancellor of Liverpool University between 1932 and 1936
- Awarded of Osborne Reynolds Medal in 1937
- Office of Mayor of Bebington in 1937
- Honorary degree of Doctor of Law (LL.D.) by Liverpool University, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, in 1937.
- Rank of Honorary Colonel in 1941 in the service of the 4th AA Division, Royal Army Serivce Corps
Death
William Hesketh Lever is interred with his parents at Christ Church, in Port SunlightPort Sunlight
Port Sunlight is a model village, suburb and electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is located between Lower Bebington and New Ferry, on the Wirral Peninsula. Between 1894 and 1974 it formed part of Bebington urban district within the county of Cheshire...
. A valuable bust of William Hulme Lever was stolen in 2009 from the plinth near his parent's tombs in Christ Church, Port Sunlight. It is feared it may be melted down for scrap.
External links
- Christ Church, Port Sunlight: Photograph of Leverhulme memorial
- The United Reformed Church of St Andrew and St George, Its Origin and History
Viscounts Leverhulme (1925)
- William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount LeverhulmeWilliam Lever, 1st Viscount LeverhulmeWilliam Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician....
(1851–1925) - William Hulme Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme (1888–1949)
- Philip William Bryce Lever, 3rd Viscount LeverhulmePhilip Lever, 3rd Viscount LeverhulmePhilip William Bryce Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme, KG was a British peer.Lever was the only son of William Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme and his first wife, Marion. In 1949 he inherited his father's titles and was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire that year, a post he held until 1990...
(1915–2000)