Thomas Attwood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament forBirmingham | |
| In office 1832–1840 | |
| Succeeded by | Joshua Scholefield and George Muntz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1783-10-06)6 October 1783 Halesowen,Shropshire,England |
| Died | 6 March 1856(1856-03-06) (aged 72) Great Malvern,Worcestershire,England |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Daniel Wakefield (son-in-law) |
| Occupation | Banker, economist, political agitator, Member of Parliament |
| Nickname | King Tom |
Thomas Attwood (6 October 1783 – 6 March 1856)[1] was a Britishbanker,economist,political campaigner andMember of Parliament. He was the leading figure of theunderconsumptionistBirmingham School of economists, and, as the founder of theBirmingham Political Union, the leading figure in the public campaign for theReform Act 1832.
Thomas Attwood was born inHalesowen, then a detached part ofShropshire, and attended Halesowen Grammar School (nowEarls High School) before being moved toWolverhampton Grammar School. On 12 May 1806, Attwood married Elizabeth Carless from Lower Ravenhurst Farm, an area which is now part of theMoor Pool estate.[2] They had two sons, George de Bosco Attwood (15 March 1808), who stood unsuccessfully for theWalsall constituency in the1832 general election, and Thomas Aurelius Attwood (4 March 1810).[2] Their daughter Angela marriedDaniel Wakefield with whom she emigrated to New Zealand.[3]
He founded theBirmingham Political Union in 1830. This was a political organization campaigning for cities, and large towns such as Birmingham, to be directly represented in Parliament. The Birmingham Political Union was foremost among groups lobbying the government for the passage of aReform Bill to achieve this aim. TheDays of May in 1832 brought the people's struggle for widerenfranchisement to a head, and theGreat Reform Act was passed on 15 May 1832. After this success he became one of the first twoMembers of Parliament (MPs) forBirmingham (along withJoshua Scholefield) on 12 December 1832, a position he held until 1839.
Attwood lived atThe Grove, aGeorgian house inHarborne,Birmingham, between 1823 and 1846. He died inMalvern,Worcestershire in 1856.
Agrade II listed statue of Thomas Attwood by local sculptorPeter Hollins stood in Calthorpe Park from 1859 to 1974[4] then moved to Larches Green, Sparkbrook, Birmingham between 1974 and 2008, but is now in store. A 1993 bronze statue sat, having left his plinth, and scattered his bronze pages, on the steps ofChamberlain Square in Birmingham until 2016 when works to demolish the Central Library and rebuild Chamberlain Square began. The statue was reinstalled in 2020 once the works were completed.
Attwood Street, a residential street inHalesowen, commemorates his achievements.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forBirmingham 1832–1840 With:Joshua Scholefield | Succeeded by |
