Harold W. Whiston
Harold W. Whiston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harold Walter Whiston 1873 |
| Died | 12 January 1952 (aged 78) Macclesfield |
| Occupation | Magistrate |
| Spouse |
Alice Proctor (m. 1896) |
Harold Walter Whiston (1873 – 12 January 1952) was an English businessman, magistrate and activist for anti-vaccination and vegetarianism.
Career
Whiston was educated at Tettenhall College and Owen's College in Staffordshire.[1] As a young man he worked with his father Alderman William Whiston who owned and managed Langley Silk Printing Works. In 1901, he became a partner of the business and was the sole owner after his father died in 1915.[1] He registered the business as a limited company under the title of William Whiston & Sons Ltd and became governing director. In 1929, the company was amalgamated under the title of Brocklehurst Whiston Amalgamated.[1][2] He became director of the combined company until his retirement in 1951.[1]
Whiston was the senior Magistrate in Macclesfield, having been appointed as Justice of Peace in 1914.[3] He was appointed chairman of Macclesfield County Magistrates in 1941. He was also chairman of the Licensing Justices and of the Juvenile Court.[3][4] He resigned as chairman in 1949 from injuries sustained from an accident falling down steps inside Macclesfield Town Hall, but continued to sit on the bench as a magistrate.[3][5][6]
He was chairman of the Liberal Party Macclesfield Division, a position he held from 1906.[7][8] He was active in the temperance movement as president of the Band of Hope Union. He resigned in 1911 to focus on political issues.[9] He became president of the Liberal Party Macclesfield Division and was invited to become a candidate but was unable to accept because of business demands.[7][1]
Personal life
Whiston married Alice Proctor in 1896. They celebrated their silver wedding in 1921.[10] He was a wealthy landowner. In 1925, he invited 50 members of the Stockport Horticultural Society to his gardens at the Elms, Macclesfield.[11]
He was a vegetarian, non-smoker, teetotaller and anti-vaccinator.[7] He served on the General Council of the Order of the Golden Age and was appointed its first provincial counsellor.[12] In 1908, he was a speaker at the Vegetarian Society's May conference at Queen's Hall with Albert Broadbent, Walter Hadwen, William Harrison and James C. Street.[13]
Whiston was a Methodist and was known as a preacher at Langley Chapel.[1] He was a member of the National Anti-Vaccination League.[14] He authored an anti-vaccination book in 1906 titled Why Vaccinate. Mahatma Gandhi was known to have quoted from the book to denounce vaccination as unnecessary.[15]
Whiston died in 1952, aged 78.[1] Tributes were paid to him at Macclesfield County Magistrates' Court, including an act of silence as a mark of respect.[16] An obituary described him as "one of the most forceful and dynamic personalities Macclesfield has ever produced".[1]
Selected publications
- Humanity’s Great Enemy (1898)[17]
- "The Great Cry". The Vegetarian Magazine. 6 (7): 152–153. 1902.
- Why Vaccinate (1906)[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Industrialist, Politician and Preacher: Death of Mr. Harold W. Whiston". The Macclesfield Times. January 17, 1952. p. 1. (subscription required)
- ^ Collins, Louanne; Stevenson, Moira (1995). Macclesfield The Silk Industry. Images of England. Macclesfield Museums Trust (New Pocket Edition 2006 ed.). Stroud, Gloucester: Nonsuch Publishing Limited. p. 71. ISBN 1-84588-294-6.
- ^ a b c "Magistrates' Chairman Resigns". The Macclesfield Times. January 19, 1950. p. 1. (subscription required)
- ^ "Danesford School: Mr. Whiston Conducts Service". The Macclesfield Times and East Cheshire Observer. September 16, 1943. p. 6. (subscription required)
- ^ "Magistrate Injured in Fall". Express and Star. September 13, 1949. p. 12. (subscription required)
- ^ "Magistrate's Fall Down Steps". The Nottingham Evening Post. September 13, 1949. p. 6. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c "Mr. H. W. Whiston and the Oldham Bye-Election". The Macclesfield Courier and Herald. October 28, 1911. p. 5. (subscription required)
- ^ "Mr. Harold Whiston". The Advertiser. October 16, 1914. p. 6. (subscription required)
- ^ "Notes". The Macclesfield Courier and Herald. September 16, 1911. p. 5. (subscription required)
- ^ "Silver Wedding Celebration: Gifts to Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Whiston". The Macclesfield Times and East Cheshire Observer. April 22, 1921. p. 5. (subscription required)
- ^ "Gardeners at the Elms: An Instructive Visit". The Macclesfield Times and East Cheshire Observer. August 28, 1925. p. 5. (subscription required)
- ^ "Notes by the Way" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 2 (10): 114. 1897.
- ^ "Diet and Health". Edinburgh Evening News. May 6, 1908. p. 1. (subscription required)
- ^ "National Anti-vaccination League". The Morning Leader. March 5, 1907. p. 4. (subscription required)
- ^ Gandhi, Mahatma (2000). The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Volume 48. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 316.
- ^ "Court Tributes to Late Mr. Whiston". The Macclesfield Times and East Cheshire Observer. January 24, 2024. p. 1. (subscription required)
- ^ "Publications". Order of the Golden Age. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Why Vaccinate". The Morning Leader. October 3, 1906. p. 8. (subscription required)