Charles Booth (social reformer)

The Right Honourable
Charles Booth
Born(1840-03-30)30 March 1840
Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Died23 November 1916(1916-11-23) (aged 76)
Thringstone, Leicestershire, England
Resting placeSt Andrew's, Thringstone
Occupation(s)Shipowner and social reformer
Notable workLife and Labour of the People in London
SpouseMary née Macaulay
AwardsGuy Medal

Charles James Booth (30 March 1840 – 23 November 1916) was a British shipowner, Comtean positivist, social researcher, and reformer, best known for his innovative philanthropic studies on working-class life in London towards the end of the 19th century.

During the 1860s Booth became interested in the philosophy of Auguste Comte, the founder of modern sociology, and converted to his Religion of Humanity, affiliated with members of the London Positivist Society, and wrote positivist prayers.[1] He was captivated by Comte's idea that in the future, scientific industrialists would be in control of the social leadership instead of the church ministers.[2] Booth's work, followed by that of Seebohm Rowntree, influenced government policy regarding poverty in the early 20th century and helped initiate Old Age pensions and free school meals for the poorest children. In addition, his research would also demonstrate how poverty was influenced by religion, education, and administration.[3]

Booth is best known for his multi-volume book Life and Labour of the People in London (1902), which focuses on the statistics he collected regarding poverty in London. Life and Labour "discusses a range of social conditions in which it reported that it appeared people are likely to be poor or on the margins of poverty."[4] Booth is also recognised for influencing the transition of social attitudes from the Victorian Age to the 20th century.[5]

Due to his investigations on poverty, some honour Charles Booth as one of the founding fathers of social administration, and regard his work crucial when studying social policy.[4]

  1. ^ Wilson 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Spartacus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Abbott 1917, pp. 195–200.
  4. ^ a b Spicker 1990.
  5. ^ Marshall, Simey & Simey 1961, p. 421.