John Fildes

John Fildes (1811 – 6 July 1875) was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.

Fildes was a director of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.^[1] At the 1865 general election, he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Great Grimsby,^[2] defeating the sitting Conservative MP John Chapman,^[3] who was another director of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.^[1] Both candidates had canvassed vigorously during the campaign, with Fildes describing himself as a Liberal who had "ever supported measures conducive to the elevation and improvement of the condition of the people".^[4]

At the 1868 general election, no Conservative candidate stood in Grismby. However, Fildes was opposed by the Liberal George Tomline, who was described by The Times as a "formidable opponent".^[5] Tomline won the seat, defeating Fildes with a majority of 211 votes.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "News in Brief: Great Grimsby". The Times. London. 10 June 1865. p. 5, A.
^ "No. 22991". The London Gazette. 14 July 1865. p. 3530.
^ ^a ^b Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 135. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
^ "News in Brief: Great Grimsby". The Times. London. 14 June 1865. p. 7, F.
^ "News in Brief: Great Grimsby". The Times. London. 11 November 1868. p. 7, A.