William Cubitt (MP)

William Cubitt (1791 – 1863) was an English engineering contractor and politician.

William was a partner in the building firm established by his elder brother, Thomas Cubitt, at Gray's Inn Road but in about 1827 the partnership was dissolved leaving William solely in charge of the business. The reasons for the split are not clear. William could have been concerned about the high risks of speculative building, or it may have been that Thomas's style was too autocratic, and William wanted to be more involved in policy decisions. William built much of the southern section of the London & Birmingham Railway, including the sections from Boxmoor to Tring and Euston to Camden and the portico and the original station buildings at Euston. Other contracts included the new Fishmonger's Hall (1831-33), repairs to Westminster Bridge (1838-44) and rebuilding the London Stock Exchange (1853). He was also responsible for the reclaiming and development of Cubitt Town in the Isle of Dogs. He retired completely from the business in 1854. In 1883 the business was acquired by Holland & Hannen, a leading competitor, and the combined business became known as Holland & Hannen and Cubitts and subsequently as Holland, Hannen & Cubitts.

William also had a younger brother, Lewis, a leading designer of his day.

William sat as Conservative MP for Andover from 1847 until 1861. He then took the Chiltern Hundreds to resign his seat so he could contest a by-election for the City of London, which he lost. Cubitt was re-elected for Andover on 17 December 1862 and served until his death on 28 October 1863.

William became active in the politics of the City of London. He was Sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1847. Cubitt became an Alderman of the City in 1851. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1860-61 and was re-elected in 1861-62.

References

* "Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Vol. I 1832-1885", edited by M. Stenton (Harvester Press 1976)
* "Holland & Hannen and Cubitts - The Inception and Development of a Great Building Firm", published 1920