William Middlebrook

Sir William Middlebrook, 1st Baronet (22 February 1851 – 30 June 1936) was an English solicitor and Liberal Party politician.

[1] Middlebrook held Liberal political views, perhaps strengthened by his active and lifelong membership of the Methodist Church.

[7] It seems that one of the reasons Middlebrook was selected was his ability to give financial aid to the Leeds South Liberal Association.

[10] Middlebrook held his seat until the 1922 general election when he was defeated in a straight fight by Labour's Henry Charleton.

[14] Middlebrook acted as Chairman of the Local Legislation Committee of the House of Commons from 1913 to 1922[3] and it was in recognition for this work that he was knighted.

[3] After the death of Lord Oxford and Asquith in 1928, a memorial to the former Liberal leader and prime minister was erected in his birthplace of Morley.

Middlebrook as a Freeman of the Borough offered to have a bronze bust and tablets of Lord Oxford's history erected in the Town Hall.

[18] After he retired Middlebrook moved from Morley to Scarborough where he died after a long illness on 30 June 1936 aged 85 years.