William Priestley (Liberal politician)

[4] His father's retirement and brother's early death left him, at the age of thirty-three, in control of the firm (Priestleys Limited) which then claimed to be "the largest manufacturer of All Wool Dress Goods in the world".

[6] Elected a Councillor for Bradford's premier ward in 1895, he was prominent in the initiative to municipalise the city's technical college in 1898 and afterwards played a major role in reorganising it on "a thoroughly practical basis".

[7] Described as "intensely in earnest regarding uplifting of people through the medium of better opportunities of education", he made several tours of continental Europe and the United States to study different instruction systems at his own expense.

[13] Local economic depression had resulted in increased demands on Bradford's Cinderella Club, a charitable organisation with which Priestley had been associated since the 1890s and which provided free food, clothing and amusement for the city's poor children.

Alderman Fred Jowett argued that the cost should be a charge on the rates and in the first instance, to overcome legal difficulties, be paid from a salary to be voted to Priestley as mayor.

[16] During his mayoralty, Priestley laid the foundation stone of Bradford's Town Hall extension, and his term of office was considered so successful that in November 1905 the Liberal and Conservative groups on the council united in asking him to serve for a further year.

[note 4] He gave £1,000 to the League on formation and, pending issue of military uniforms, provided volunteers with handsome enamel badges to signify their enlistment.

[36] It was as a champion of free trade that Priestley stood for national political office, reflecting the dependency of both his constituency and his business on unhindered access to export markets.

[note 5] In trade he recognised the importance of responding promptly to changes in customer taste and of ensuring that advances in product and process compensated for what he saw as inevitable increases in British labour rates.

The scale of economic demand in the 20th century presented, he said, challenges which individualism struggled to meet and which required effective combinations of resource and ideas and of capital and labour.

[note 7] He believed the long-term success of a business involved “building up a strong and wealthy community”, and was reported to have good rapport with and respect among his workforce.

[note 8] Priestley also donated silver trophies for local association football, rugby and golf competitions and for award at athletics events, produce and livestock shows.

[67] In 1933, to commemorate what would have been their silver wedding anniversary, his widow had a lifeboat designed and built for the Morecambe and Heysham Fishermen's Association; watched by a crowd of 20,000, she launched the vessel in the following year, naming it the Sir William Priestley.

[71] Regularly sharing the political platform with her husband, Ruth Priestley was a confident public speaker and held office in several Bradford societies.