Albert Grant (company promoter)
Encyclopedia
Albert Grant (born Abraham Gottheimer); Baron Grant in the nobility of Italy
, was an Irish
born British
company promoter.
. The family subsequently moved to London where his father became a partner in a business importing fancy goods. Abraham Gottheimer was educated in London and Paris, and assumed the name "Albert Grant" prior to his marriage to Emily Isabella Robinson in 1856. He entered employment as a clerk, later becoming a travelling salesman of wines.
In 1872 he financed construction of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (Moel Tryfan Undertaking)
, the narrow gauge railway from Dinas, near Caernarfon, to Brygwyn and Rhyd Ddu. He put the railway company into receivership in 1877 but lost most of his £83,500 investment.
Grant was chosen as Conservative
candidate for the parliamentary constituency of Kidderminster
, in opposition to the sitting Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP), Colonel Luke White
. The election generated great interest as a letter had been sent to all members of the electorate denouncing Grant as "a fraudulent adventurer". Grant and White were nominated at Kidderminster
Town Hall on 11 July in front of a huge crowd. Grant was proposed and seconded by two local carpet manufacturers, who dismissed the charges against him at length and read out a number of character references defending his reputation. Grant unseated White to become Kidderminster's MP when the poll was held two days later. Three years later
another general election was held, but Grant did not stand. The seat was regained by the Liberals, with Thomas Lea
becoming member of parliament.
created Grant a hereditary baron. This was declared to be due to his services to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan
, although it was widely believed that the honour had been purchased. In 1872 Grant was made a Commander of the Portuguese Order of Christ
, and similar allegations were made.
, Grant was once more the Conservative candidate at Kidderminster, and succeeded in winning the contest by 111 votes when the poll was held on 31 January. However, a petition against his election was lodged on 24 February by a number of local men. The petitioners alleged that Grant and his election agent
s were guilty of bribery, treating and undue influence and had made corrupt promises of "money, meat, drink and provision and other reward" to electors in exchange for their votes. They described how between 40 and 50 local public house
s offered free drink to those wearing Conservative colours, and having their names entered on a list of Grant's supporters. Grant vigorously contested the petition, dismissing its promoters as a "clique". However, it was discovered that although his declared expenses were only 300 pounds, expenditure of more than £1,200 could be demonstrated. The petition came before the courts in July 1874, and the evidence against Grant was found by Mr Justice Mellor
to be compelling: he was unseated and ordered to pay costs.
.jpg)
During 1873 the Metropolitan Board of Works
had been attempting to acquire Leicester Square
for use as a public gardens. In January 1874 they were unexpectedly informed that Grant had "for some months past been in negotiation with the owners for the purchase of the ground with a view to laying it out as a garden, and handing it over to the Board as a gift to the Metropolis". The square was laid out at Grant's expense, and the deeds formally handed over to the board on 3 July 1874.
. He was declared bankrupt in 1877, but attempted to regain his fortune by establishing a new bank in 1878. This failed, and he was again in the bankruptcy court in 1885. A third and final receiving order was made against him a few days before his death in 1899. A large house he had built for himself in Kensington
was demolished in 1883, with the site sold. The marble staircase was acquired by Madame Tussaud's. Horstead Hall
, Norfolk, which Grant had purchased from Baron Suffield
, was also sold.
, Pagham
, near Bognor
, in Sussex
in August 1899 aged 68.
Nobility of Italy
The Nobility of Italy consisted of individuals and their families of Italy recognized by sovereigns, such as the Holy Roman Emperor, the Holy See, Kings of Italy or certain other Italian kings and sovereigns as members of a class of persons officially enjoying hereditary privileges which...
, was an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
born British
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...
company promoter.
Early life
Born in Dublin, Abraham was the son of Bernard Gottheimer, a poor Jewish pedlar from Central EuropeCentral Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. The family subsequently moved to London where his father became a partner in a business importing fancy goods. Abraham Gottheimer was educated in London and Paris, and assumed the name "Albert Grant" prior to his marriage to Emily Isabella Robinson in 1856. He entered employment as a clerk, later becoming a travelling salesman of wines.
Company promotion
In 1859 Grant established the first of a number of companies which were to fail at the expense of the shareholders. This was the Mercantile Discount Company which failed in 1861. In 1864 he established Crédit Foncier and Mobilier of England which was used as the vehicle to launch a number of ventures. Grant actively courted investors by using directories and targeting financially naive groups such as members of the clergy and widows. He established a number of companies between 1864 and 1872 each of which collapsed in controversial circumstances with allegations of fraud made against Grant.In 1872 he financed construction of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways (Moel Tryfan Undertaking)
North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways was a gauge railway running from Dinas to Bryngwyn, Wales, which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872. The same act authorised a branch from Tryfan Junction to South Snowdon...
, the narrow gauge railway from Dinas, near Caernarfon, to Brygwyn and Rhyd Ddu. He put the railway company into receivership in 1877 but lost most of his £83,500 investment.
Member of Parliament 1865–1868
In 1865United Kingdom general election, 1865
The 1865 United Kingdom general election saw the Liberals, led by Lord Palmerston, increase their large majority over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives to more than 80. The Whig Party changed its name to the Liberal Party between the previous election and this one.Palmerston died later in the same...
Grant was chosen as Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate for the parliamentary constituency of Kidderminster
Kidderminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Kidderminster was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
, in opposition to the sitting 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...
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), Colonel Luke White
Luke White, 2nd Baron Annaly
Luke White, 2nd Baron Annaly KP was an Anglo-Irish Liberal politician.Annaly was the son of Henry White, 1st Baron Annaly, and his wife Ellen , and was educated at Eton. He served in the British Army and achieved the rank of Captain in the 13th Light Dragoons and Lieutenant-Colonel in the Longford...
. The election generated great interest as a letter had been sent to all members of the electorate denouncing Grant as "a fraudulent adventurer". Grant and White were nominated at Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
Town Hall on 11 July in front of a huge crowd. Grant was proposed and seconded by two local carpet manufacturers, who dismissed the charges against him at length and read out a number of character references defending his reputation. Grant unseated White to become Kidderminster's MP when the poll was held two days later. Three years later
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...
another general election was held, but Grant did not stand. The seat was regained by the Liberals, with Thomas Lea
Sir Thomas Lea, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Lea, 1st Baronet , was an English carpet manufacturer from Kidderminster, and a Liberal Party politician.-Carpets:...
becoming member of parliament.
Italian and Portuguese honours
In 1868 Victor Emmanuel II of ItalyVictor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
created Grant a hereditary baron. This was declared to be due to his services to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, although it was widely believed that the honour had been purchased. In 1872 Grant was made a Commander of the Portuguese Order of Christ
Order of Christ (Portugal)
The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...
, and similar allegations were made.
Member of parliament 1874
When a general election was called in 1874United 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 *...
, Grant was once more the Conservative candidate at Kidderminster, and succeeded in winning the contest by 111 votes when the poll was held on 31 January. However, a petition against his election was lodged on 24 February by a number of local men. The petitioners alleged that Grant and his election agent
Election agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
s were guilty of bribery, treating and undue influence and had made corrupt promises of "money, meat, drink and provision and other reward" to electors in exchange for their votes. They described how between 40 and 50 local public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s offered free drink to those wearing Conservative colours, and having their names entered on a list of Grant's supporters. Grant vigorously contested the petition, dismissing its promoters as a "clique". However, it was discovered that although his declared expenses were only 300 pounds, expenditure of more than £1,200 could be demonstrated. The petition came before the courts in July 1874, and the evidence against Grant was found by Mr Justice Mellor
John Mellor (judge)
Sir John Mellor was an English judge and Member of Parliament. He was born in Hollinwood, Oldham and raised in Leicester, where his father was mayor and a Justice of the Peace....
to be compelling: he was unseated and ordered to pay costs.
Leicester Square
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works was the principal instrument of London-wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889. Its principal responsibility was to provide infrastructure to cope with London's rapid growth, which it successfully accomplished. The MBW...
had been attempting to acquire Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
for use as a public gardens. In January 1874 they were unexpectedly informed that Grant had "for some months past been in negotiation with the owners for the purchase of the ground with a view to laying it out as a garden, and handing it over to the Board as a gift to the Metropolis". The square was laid out at Grant's expense, and the deeds formally handed over to the board on 3 July 1874.
Bankruptcy
From 1876 until his death, Grant was constantly being pursued by creditors in the courts. While most of his failing companies were British, he was involved in an international scandal involving the fraudulent sale of shares in the exhausted Emma Silver Mine at Alta, UtahAlta, Utah
Alta is a town in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 370 at the 2000 census, a slight decrease from the 1990 figure of 397....
. He was declared bankrupt in 1877, but attempted to regain his fortune by establishing a new bank in 1878. This failed, and he was again in the bankruptcy court in 1885. A third and final receiving order was made against him a few days before his death in 1899. A large house he had built for himself in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
was demolished in 1883, with the site sold. The marble staircase was acquired by Madame Tussaud's. Horstead Hall
Horstead Hall
Horstead Hall was a country house in Norfolk that was demolished in the 1950s.The village of Horstead in the county of Norfolk is not short of country houses. Towards Norwich lie Horstead House and Heggatt Hall, while towards Buxton lies the Horstead Hall estate. The house lay in the middle of...
, Norfolk, which Grant had purchased from Baron Suffield
Baron Suffield
Baron Suffield, of Suffield in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1786 for Sir Harbord Harbord, 2nd Baronet, who had previously represented Norwich in the House of Commons for thirty years...
, was also sold.
Death
Grant spent his last years in relative poverty. He died of heart failure at Aldwick PlaceAldwick
Aldwick is a civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, and is part of the built-up area around Bognor Regis, to the west of the town. The parish includes Rose Green and occupies an area of , and has a population of 10,884 persons.It became, briefly, the focus of the British Empire...
, Pagham
Pagham
Pagham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 5,500.-Geography:The village comprises three main areas:*Pagham Beach, coastal area, developed in the early 20th Century,...
, near Bognor
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
, in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in August 1899 aged 68.