Mark Huish

Captain Mark Huish (9 March 1808 – 18 January 1867) was an English railway manager. He is best known for his term as General Manager of the London & North Western Railway, which he held for 12 years, beginning from the Company's formation in 1846.

Early life

Huish was born in Nottingham on 9 March 1808, the son of Mark Huish and Elizabeth Gainsford. He was baptised in High Pavement Presbytarian Church on 6 April 1808.

His father, Mark Huish (1 March 1776 – 14 January 1833) was a deputy-lieutenant for Nottinghamshire. His mother, Elizabeth Gainsford (d. 1824), was the daughter of John Gainsford of Worksop. They married on 5 August 1799.

Military career

At age 16 he was sent to India to enter the service of the East India Company, where he joined the 67th regiment Bengal Native Infantry as an Ensign. Huish rose through the ranks and by 1834, at the age of 26, he became entitled to a 3-year leave which allowed him to return to England. While he was in England his promotion to ‘Captain’ came through.

Business career

At this time Huish had to make a choice: either to return to India at the end of the leave, which would have committed him to a long period without the prospect of returning home, or to look for employment in another sphere. He had become interested in the possibility of working in railway management and applied for the position of Secretary to the newly formed Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway. Huish was selected from amongst the more than 60 applicants and he began work in Glasgow on 24 November 1837. He remained with the company until 7 July 1841 when he resigned on being offered the job of Secretary to the Grand Junction Railway company, a significant promotion.

The Grand Junction Railway merged with the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to become the London & North Western Railway. In October 1846 the Directors of the combined company appointed Huish General Manager at a salary of £2,000 p.a.(£143,488 as of 2011),^[1] This was an incredibly high salary for the time.

Huish exerted a strong influence over the development of the Company, and he was responsible for several important developments in railway management and accounting practice which were taken up by other companies. However, his bullying style and arrogance meant that he made enemies. This management style coupled with increasingly difficult trading conditions brought about Huish's downfall. By 1858 his position had become untenable, and he resigned his situation with the London & North Western. Despite all he had done for the Company, and his contribution was certainly considerable, he received a pay-off of just 18 months salary, and a free pass for life. Significantly, he did not get a pension.

In 1859 he was appointed deputy chairman of the London Pneumatic Despatch Company.

Huish retired to the Isle of Wight, where he died on 18 January 1867 at the age of 58.^[2]

References

1. ^ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Lawrence H. Officer (2010) "What Were the UK Earnings and Prices Then?" MeasuringWorth.
2. ^ Gourvish, T. R. (1972). Mark Huish and the London & North Western Railway: A Study of Management. Leicester University Press. 

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Name	Huish, Mark
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Date of birth	9 March 1808
Place of birth
Date of death	18 January 1867
Place of death