William Rathbone V
Encyclopedia
Life
A member of the noted Rathbone familyRathbone family
The Rathbone family of Liverpool, England, were a family of non-conformist merchants and shipowners, whose sense of high social consciousness led to a fine tradition of philanthropy and public service....
of 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...
, he was the eldest son of William Rathbone IV
William Rathbone IV
William Rathbone IV was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool, England. He was the son of William Rathbone III and Rachel Rutter, and was a Liverpool ship-owner and merchant, involved in the organisation of American trade with Liverpool.Originally a member of the Society of Friends,...
and Hannah Mary (née Reynolds). He was a Liverpool merchant in partnership with Richard Rathbone
Richard Rathbone
Richard Rathbone was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool in England. He was the second son of William Rathbone IV. Richard was a commission merchant, setting up in partnership with his brother, William Rathbone V in 1809.He retired in 1835...
, his brother.
He was elected 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...
councillor for Liverpool in 1835 and 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 Liverpool in 1837, and fought for social reforms. He was an active supporter of the Municipal Reform Act 1835, supported Kitty Wilkinson
Kitty Wilkinson
Kitty Wilkinson was an Irish immigrant "wife of a labourer" who became known as the Saint of the Slums...
in establishing Liverpool public baths and wash-houses following the cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic, and was responsible for the for distribution of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Relief funds during the Irish famine of 1846-1847.
He died on 1 February 1868 at Greenbank House
Greenbank House
Greenbank House, is a Grade II listed building, located in Liverpool, England. It stands within the University of Liverpool's Greenbank Halls of Residence site, between Greenbank Road and Greenbank Lane.- Original House :...
, with over 1000 mourners attending his funeral.
Family
He married Elizabeth, (1790-1882) daughter of Samuel Greg of Quarry Bank, Cheshire and Hannah (née Lightbody) in 1812 and had four children: Hannah Mary who married John Hamilton ThomJohn Hamilton Thom
-Life:He was a younger son of John Thom , born on 10 January 1808 at Newry, County Down, where his father, a native of Lanarkshire, was presbyterian minister from 1800. His mother was Martha Anne , daughter of Isaac Glenny. In 1823 he was admitted at the Belfast Academical Institution as a student...
, William Rathbone VI
William Rathbone VI
William Rathbone VI was an English merchant and businessman noted for his philanthropic and public work...
, Samuel Greg and Philip Henry (1828-95).
He was the great-grandfather of the actor Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
.