J. Batty Langley | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Attercliffe | |
In office 1894–1909 | |
Preceded by | Bernard Coleridge |
Succeeded by | Joseph Pointer |
President of the National Association of General Railway Clerks | |
In office 1897–1898 | |
Preceded by | New position |
Succeeded by | W. D. Leaver |
Personal details | |
Born | Uppingham, England | 20 March 1834
Died | 19 February 1914 Bournemouth, England | (aged 79)
Resting place | Sheffield General Cemetery, England |
Political party | Liberal Party |
J. Batty Langley (20 March 1834 – 19 February 1914) was a British Liberal Party politician.
He was born in Uppingham, Rutland, the son of Thomas Langley.[1] He moved to Sheffield in the 1850s, and in 1863 commenced business on his own account as a timber merchant and became proprietor of the Sheaf Saw Mills. He was one of the city's most prominent non-conformists, attending Queen Street Congregational Church. He was elected to Sheffield Town Council in 1871, serving many years and becoming an alderman in 1890.[2]
In 1892, Langley became Mayor of Sheffield, and saw an eventful year in office. Sheffield became a city, while Langley organised a conference in the city, aiming to settle the 1893 coal strike.[2]
Claiming to represent the interests of the working class, he was elected as the Member of Parliament at the 1894 Sheffield Attercliffe by-election. As an employer, he was a controversial choice, and the Independent Labour Party stood a candidate against him.[3] He was re-elected for Sheffield Attercliffe unopposed at the 1895 and 1900 general elections[4] but in 1906, the Conservative Arnold Muir Wilson stood.[5][6] Langley retained his Parliamentary seat until he retired in 1909, due to long-term ill health.[7]
Langley became the first president of the National Association of General Railway Clerks (now Transport Salaried Staffs' Association) in 1897,[8] although he resigned due to ill health the following year.[3]