William Mather

Sir William Mather (July 15 1838 – September 18 1920) was a British industrialist and Liberal politician.

Mather was born in Manchester in 1838, and became chairman of the engineering company of Mather and Platt, Salford. As an employer he was notable for introducing the eight-hour working day for his workers. In 1863 he married Emma Watson, and they had five children."Obituary: Sir William Mather", The Times, September 20, 1920, p. 13]

He was elected as a Member of parliament for Salford in 1885, before being removed at the 1886 election. In 1889 he was elected as MP for Gorton, a position he held until 1895. In 1900 he was again elected, this time for Rossendale, where he remained until his resignation in 1904.

Apart from his parliamentary and commercial activities, Mather had an interest in the promotion of education. He was on the council of Owen's College and of Manchester University, and was chairman of the Froebel Educational Institute. He was also in charge of the British education section of the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908.

In 1902 he was knighted for his help reorganising the War Office during the Second Boer War, and was made a member of the Privy Council in 1910. [L. E. Mather: "Sir William Mather, 1838–1920"]

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