John Watts (reformer)
John Watts (1818โ1887) was an English educational and social reformer. Originally an
Early life
The son of James Watts, a ribbon weaver, he was born at
In July 1841 Watts moved to Manchester. For three years he ran a boys' school in the Manchester Hall of Science, an Owenite foundation designed to hold 3000 people. He held public discussions in the district on Owen's system of society.[2][3] It was at this period that Engels had contact with Watts as a lecturer.[4]
After Owen
In 1844 Watts had come to the conclusion that Owen's ideal community was impracticable, and many of its adherents self-seeking; and he went into business again. On 18 July 1844 he obtained from the
In 1853 Watts was a promoter of the People's Provident Assurance Society, and went to London, returning in 1857 to be local manager in Manchester. This company was later known as the "European". By merging with unsound companies, it came to a disastrous end. Subsequently Watts wrote the first draft of a bill which was introduced into parliament and became the Life Assurance Act of 1870, which among other precautionary measures forbade the transfer or amalgamation of insurance companies without judicial authority.[2]
Committee man
In 1845 Watts took part in a movement which led to the establishment of three public parks in Manchester and Salford. In 1847 he joined, and later was the leading advocate of, the Lancashire Public School Association, which became called the National Public School Association. It pushed for the provision of free, secular, and rate-supported schools, and had Samuel Lucas as chairman. He also joined the society for promoting the repeal of the "taxes on knowledge", and supported the efforts in parliament of Milner Gibson, Richard Cobden, and Ayrton, framing many questions, and collecting most of the specimen cases, brought up with the chancellor of the exchequer.[2]
In 1850 Watts persuaded
Watts was closely associated with the
Watts was also chairman of the councils of the Union of Lancashire and Cheshire Institutes, the
Death
Watts died at Old Trafford, Manchester, on 7 February 1887, and was buried in the parish church of Bowdon, Cheshire.[2]
Works
Watts published:[2]
- Facts and Fictions of Political Economists (1842), under the influence of
- The Facts of the Cotton Famine (1866);
- The Catechism of Wages and Capital (1867).
Also a large number of pamphlets, mainly on subjects such as trade-unions, strikes, co-operation, and education. He was a contributor to periodicals, and a newspaper correspondent, especially on educational and economic subjects.[2]
Family
Watts married Catherine Shaw in October 1844, and left four children, three having died in his lifetime. His eldest son was W. H. S. Watts, district registrar in Manchester of the high court of justice. His daughter, Caroline Emma, married Thomas Edward Thorpe, chief government analyst.[2]
Notes
- ISBN 978-0-7190-1820-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 60. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ISBN 978-1-135-19140-5.
- ISBN 978-0-7146-4002-0.
- ISBN 978-0-521-89276-6.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39022. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ISBN 978-0-7146-4002-0.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). "Watts, John (1818-1887)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 60. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
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