Constituency : Dumfriesshire 1868-9, Maidstone 1874-80, Gravesend 1880-85
Sir Sydney took Dumfriesshire from the Tories. He was the first Liberal to contest the seat which had been in the pocket of the Duke of Buccleuch for decades. His scretary had noticed an ad in The Scotsman for a Liberal candidate to contest the seat. It was a rough contest with Sydney denounced as a Unitarian. He won by 44 votes.
Sydney was born in London and educated at a grammar school. He went to work in the family printing firm but later moved into finance and became a director of the Union Bank of London. He was a Commissioner at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and received a knighthood for being a juror at the Paris International Exhibition of 1867. He became involved in local government in London in 1857 and pursued his philanthropic bent in building improved houses for the working class. He founded the Improved Industrial dwellings Company which pioneered such features as exterior stairwells. He worked hard to secure Russell's election in 1852. He was against the restriction of working hours.
Sydney's election was declared void in 1869 because his firm still held government contracts at the time. He was eligible to stand again but lost by 36 votes with Buccleuch's agents at every booth watching the tenants' voting.
In 1872 Sydney donated a property to St Bartholomew's Hospital for use as a convalescent home for the poor. That same year he was elected Lord Mayor of London. In 1889 he gave the surrounding land to the L.C.C. for use as a park.
In 1874 he was returned to Maidstone with a large majority. In 1880 both Liberals lost out at Maidstone . He moved over to Gravesend where he soundly defeated Sir Robert Peel. In 1885 he moved to Mid-Kent where he expected the newly-enfranchised agricultural workers would reward his support for tenant rights. He was defeated and chose not to stand for Parliament again.
He died in 1906 aged 84.
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