643 Joseph Dodds

Constituency : Stockton-on-Tees  1868-88

Joseph  became  the  first  MP  for  the  new  seat  of  Stockton-on-Tees.

Joseph  was  a  farmer's  son  who  became  a  solicitor. He  invested  in  ironworks  and  became  mayor  of  the  town.

Joseph  persuaded  the  North  Eastern  Railway  to  run  a  through  train  to  London  which  became  known  as  the  "Dodds Express". In  1886  he  had  a  huge  majority  of  4,991.

Joseph  supported  women's  suffrage  but  opposed  giving  them  more  child  custody  rights.

Joseph  resigned  in  1888  when  he  was  exposed  as  a  fraudster  for  pocketing  the  savings  of  an  elderly  lady  who'd  given  him  the  money  to  invest. He  left  town  in  a  hurry.

He  died  in  1891  aged  72.