685 Sir Charles Reed

Constituency : Hackney  1868-74, St Ives  1880-81

Charles   was  the  other  Liberal  victor  at  Hackney.

Charles   was  the  son  of  a  well  known  Congregationalist  minister  and  philanthropist. He  married  the  daughter  of  Edward  Baines. He  had  a  successful  typefounding  business  in  London.

In  1869  Charles  moved  a  bill  to  protect  Sunday  schools  from  being  rated.

In  1870  Charles  was  elected  to  the  newly-founded  London  School  Board  and  in  due  course  became  its  chairman.  He  also  founded  the  City  of  London  Library

Charles  was  involved  in  the  preservation  of  two  important  London  cemeteries.

Charles  was  knighted  in  1874  on  Gladstone's  recommendation.  He  collected  autographed  letters  and  keys  and  had  a  lifelong  interest  in  antiquities.

In  1874  the  election  result   at  Hackney   was  voided  and  at  the  by-election  Charles  made  way for  Henry  Fawcett.  He  returned  for  St  Ives  in  1880.

Charles  voted  against  the  party  in  the  Bradlaugh  debates  as  he  detested  atheism.

He  died  in  1881 aged  62.