727 William Foster

Constituency  : Bridgnorth 1870-80, 1880-85  ( Conservative )

William  chalked  up  a  Liberal  gain  in  taking  Bridgnorth  after  the  resignation  of  the  incumbent  Tory. Surprisingly  he  was  elected  unopposed.

William  was  the  son  of  the  erstwhile  MP  for  South  Staffordshire  and  iron  manufacturer . He  was  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford.

William  saw  off  a  Tory  challenge  in  1874  but  was  a  Conservative  himself  by  1880. He  never  spoke  in  the  Commons.

William  was  a  philanthropist  and  art  collector  with  paintings  by  Reynolds, Turner  and  Constable.

He  died  in  1924  aged  78.