Edmund Knowles Muspratt
Encyclopedia
Edmund Knowles Muspratt (6 November 1833 – 1 September 1923) was an English chemical industrialist
.
, near Liverpool
, England, the fourth and youngest son of James Muspratt
and his wife Julia Josephine née Connor. His father was also a chemical industrialist who had established factories in Liverpool, St Helens
and Newton-le-Willows
. He was educated at the Pestalozzian Institute at Worksop
, Nottinghamshire
. He was then sent by his father to study chemistry under Justus von Liebig
at the University of Giessen
in Hesse-Darmstadt
, Germany
. When Liebig moved to the University of Munich
in 1852, Muspratt went with him and studied medicine there where he gained the degree of Ph.D.
He then returned to Liverpool to work with his father in his businesses.
, Lancashire
, from his older brother Frederic
and also became involved in the management of his father's Liverpool factory. These factories manufactured alkali
by the Leblanc process
. During this time Edmund studied metallurgy
at Owens College
, Manchester and invented methods of separating nickel
, cobalt
and copper
from the waste by–products from his factories. He also operated a plant at Wood End to recover sulphur by the process invented by Ludwig Mond
. In 1867 the Widnes Metal Company was formed with Muspratt as its chairman with the purpose of recovering metals, particularly copper and silver
, from the burnt pyrites
used for alkali manufacture.
In 1860 when the governments of Britain and France formed a treaty to raise duties
on materials made from salt
, Muspratt was prominent in the establishment of an alkali manufacturers' association. Muspratt and Holbrook Gaskell
went together to Paris to negotiate terms for the manufacturers. The association was more formally established two years later to deal with problems arising from pollution. In 1876 Muspratt was a witness giving evidence to the Royal Commission
enquiring into the pollution caused by the Widnes factories. In 1890 many of the businesses using the Leblanc process combined to form the United Alkali Company
to resist competition from factories making alkali by the ammonia–soda process
. Muspratt became a director
and later the president of this company.
and was a believer in free trade
. He was an active member of the Financial Reform Association which continued the policy of the Anti-Corn Law League
. In 1885 when Widnes became a parliamentary constituency, he offered himself as a Liberal
candidate but was defeated.
He was a member of Liverpool town council
and Lancashire county council
, and chairman of Liverpool chamber of commerce
. In 1881 he played a part in founding University College, Liverpool. When this became the University of Liverpool
in 1903 he was elected the President of its Council. He was given the honorary degree of LLD by the university in 1907. In 1878 he became a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry
. He was a member of the Society of Chemical Industry
, being its Vice–President from 1881–1885, 1886–1889 and 1893–1895, and its President from 1885–1886. In 1910 he helped to establish the Liverpool repertory
theatre. He wrote an autobiography which was published in 1917 entitled My Life and Work. He died in 1923 at Seaforth Hall, the house built by his father.
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
.
Early life and education
Edmund Knowles Muspratt was born in SeaforthSeaforth, Merseyside
Seaforth is a district within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. It is located to the north of Liverpool, between Bootle and Waterloo.-History:...
, near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, the fourth and youngest son of James Muspratt
James Muspratt
James Muspratt was a British chemical manufacturer who was the first to make alkali by the Leblanc process on a large scale in the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
and his wife Julia Josephine née Connor. His father was also a chemical industrialist who had established factories in Liverpool, St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
and Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows is a small market town within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is situated about midway between the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, to the east of St Helens, to the north of Warrington and to the south of...
. He was educated at the Pestalozzian Institute at Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. He was then sent by his father to study chemistry under Justus von Liebig
Justus von Liebig
Justus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...
at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
in Hesse-Darmstadt
Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse between the four sons of Philip I, the last Landgrave of Hesse....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. When Liebig moved to the University of Munich
Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , commonly known as the University of Munich or LMU, is a university in Munich, Germany...
in 1852, Muspratt went with him and studied medicine there where he gained the degree of Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
He then returned to Liverpool to work with his father in his businesses.
Business career
Edmund took over the management of the Wood End factory in WidnesWidnes
Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, from his older brother Frederic
Frederic Muspratt
Frederic Muspratt was a chemist and industrialist who established a chemical factory in Widnes, Lancashire, England....
and also became involved in the management of his father's Liverpool factory. These factories manufactured alkali
Alkali
In chemistry, an alkali is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal element. Some authors also define an alkali as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7. The adjective alkaline is commonly used in English as a synonym for base,...
by the Leblanc process
Leblanc process
The Leblanc process was the industrial process for the production of soda ash used throughout the 19th century, named after its inventor, Nicolas Leblanc. It involved two stages: Production of sodium sulfate from sodium chloride, followed by reaction of the sodium sulfate with coal and calcium...
. During this time Edmund studied metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
at Owens College
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
, Manchester and invented methods of separating nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
from the waste by–products from his factories. He also operated a plant at Wood End to recover sulphur by the process invented by Ludwig Mond
Ludwig Mond
Dr Ludwig Mond , was a German-born chemist and industrialist who took British nationality.-Education and career:...
. In 1867 the Widnes Metal Company was formed with Muspratt as its chairman with the purpose of recovering metals, particularly copper and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, from the burnt pyrites
Copper sulfide
Copper sulfides describe a family of chemical compounds and minerals with the formula CuxSy. Both minerals and synthetic materials comprise these compounds. Some copper sulfides are economically important ores....
used for alkali manufacture.
In 1860 when the governments of Britain and France formed a treaty to raise duties
Duty (economics)
In economics, a duty is a kind of tax, often associated with customs, a payment due to the revenue of a state, levied by force of law. It is a tax on certain items purchased abroad...
on materials made from salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, Muspratt was prominent in the establishment of an alkali manufacturers' association. Muspratt and Holbrook Gaskell
Holbrook Gaskell
Holbrook Gaskell was a British industrialist, and an art and plant collector.-Early life:Holbrook Gaskell was born in Wavertree, Liverpool. He was the eldest son of Roger Gaskell, a sailcloth manufacturer, from his marriage to his cousin Anne Hunter. He was baptised on the 11 April 1813 at...
went together to Paris to negotiate terms for the manufacturers. The association was more formally established two years later to deal with problems arising from pollution. In 1876 Muspratt was a witness giving evidence 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...
enquiring into the pollution caused by the Widnes factories. In 1890 many of the businesses using the Leblanc process combined to form the United Alkali Company
United Alkali Company
United Alkali Company Limited was a British chemical company formed in 1890. Producer of soda ash by the Leblanc process and used in the glass, textile, soap, and paper industries. It became one of the top four British chemical companies merged in 1926 with Brunner Mond, Nobel Explosives and...
to resist competition from factories making alkali by the ammonia–soda process
Solvay process
The Solvay process, also referred to as the ammonia-soda process, is the major industrial process for the production of soda ash . The ammonia-soda process was developed into its modern form by Ernest Solvay during the 1860s...
. Muspratt became a director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
and later the president of this company.
Politics and personal life
Muspratt became interested in politics, being influenced by the writings of John Stuart MillJohn Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
and was a believer in free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
. He was an active member of the Financial Reform Association which continued the policy of the Anti-Corn Law League
Anti-Corn Law League
The Anti-Corn Law League was in effect the resumption of the Anti-Corn Law Association, which had been created in London in 1836 but did not obtain widespread popularity. The Anti-Corn Law League was founded in Manchester in 1838...
. In 1885 when Widnes became a parliamentary constituency, he offered himself as a 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...
candidate but was defeated.
He was a member of Liverpool town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
and Lancashire county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
, and chairman of Liverpool chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. In 1881 he played a part in founding University College, Liverpool. When this became the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
in 1903 he was elected the President of its Council. He was given the honorary degree of LLD by the university in 1907. In 1878 he became a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry
Royal Institute of Chemistry
The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation.Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain, its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its aim was to ensure that consulting and analytical chemists were properly...
. He was a member of the Society of Chemical Industry
Society of Chemical Industry
The Society of Chemical Industry is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Its purpose is "Promoting the commercial application of science for the benefit of society". Its first president was Henry Enfield Roscoe and...
, being its Vice–President from 1881–1885, 1886–1889 and 1893–1895, and its President from 1885–1886. In 1910 he helped to establish the Liverpool repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
theatre. He wrote an autobiography which was published in 1917 entitled My Life and Work. He died in 1923 at Seaforth Hall, the house built by his father.