Constituency : Stoke-on-Trent 1880-85, Hanley 1885-1900
William was one of two Liberal victors at Stoke replacing the Tory and Independent* incumbents.
William was born in Shrewsbury and educated at a Congregational School. He started work as a gas engineer at Liverpool Gas Company. He later managed a gas works in the Five Towns. In 1862 he married the daughter of a china manufacturer and became a partner in the latter's firm. He later owned the Sneyd Colliery Company. He was chairman of the Burslem School Board from 1868 until his election. He was also chairman of a regional deaf and dumb charity. He set up the Wedgwood Institute ceramics school.
William's maiden speech was in support of Nonconformists' burial rights. William served on the Royal Commission for Technical Education from 1881 to 1884.
From 1884 onwards William was the primary parliamentary spokesman for female suffrage and presented various unsuccessful motions. He tried to get it included in the 1884 Reform Act but Gladstone opposed his amendment , fearing it would imperil the bill.
William declared firmly for Home Rule.
In 1886 William was briefly Surveyor-General of the Ordnance.
In the Gladstone/Rosebery administration, William served as Financial Secretary to the War Office. In 1894 he wrote the Select Committee on Volunteer Acts.
William collected art and Continental pottery. In 1871 he visited Paris and wrote the book Paris After Two Sieges.
He died in 1901 aged 69.
* Edward Kenealy , an Irish-born barrister who had been involved in the Tichborne case. His conduct in court had been highly criticised but somehow he managed to use that to pull off one of the most remarkable by-election triumphs of all time in 1875.
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