| Honorific-Prefix: | Sir |
| George Radford | |
| Constituency Mp: | Islington East |
| Parliament: | United Kingdom |
| Term Start: | 1906 |
| Term End: | 1917 |
| Predecessor: | Benjamin Cohen |
| Successor: | Edward Smallwood |
| Birth Name: | George Heynes Radford |
| Birth Date: | 17 June 1851[1] |
| Birth Place: | Plymouth, England |
| Death Place: | Chiswick House, Ditton Hill, England |
| Party: | Liberal |
| Alma Mater: | London University |
Sir George Heynes Radford (17 June 1851 – 5 October 1917) was an English solicitor and Liberal politician. He was a member of parliament for Islington East from 1906 to 1917.
Radford was born in Plymouth,[2] the eldest son of George David Radford and Catherine Agnes Heynes.[3] He went to London University to study law, where he graduated Bachelor of Laws with honours.[4] In 1882, he married Emma Louisa Radford, the daughter of a Justice of the Peace. They had four daughters and a son; Barbara, Katherine, Cecily, Ursula and George Lawrence.[5]
Radford was admitted as a solicitor in 1872.[2] He joined the firm of Radford and Frankland which had its offices in Chancery Lane, eventually becoming senior partner.[3]
Radford was first involved in London local politics. He was Progressive Party member for West Islington on the London County Council from 1885 to 1907.[6] In the 1906 general election he became MP for Islington East, a seat he went on to hold, albeit by small majorities, until his death in 1917.[7] Radford always took a prominent part in London County Council elections and was for two years Chairman of the Council's Parliamentary Committee.[2]
Radford served as Chairman of the National Liberal Club Buildings Co. Ltd and was a Vice-Chairman of the Club.[8] He also served as a Justice of the Peace in Surrey, where he had his home at Ditton Hill, now part of Surbiton. He was knighted in the 1916 Birthday Honours.[2]
Radford had a particular interest in transport in London and a passion for tramways. He noted the advanced use of trams in Budapest and led a British Parliamentary delegation to Hungary in 1906. In 1908, the first cross-river tram in London departed from Holborn Station and it is believed that Radford was responsible for the honour of the maiden trip starting in Islington.[6]
A collection of scrapbooks of news cuttings, notices, posters etc. donated by Miss U Radford in 1975, documenting Radford's career is deposited in the London Metropolitan Archives .[9] A collection of documents including correspondence, books, photographs, campaign flyers etc. belonging to George Radford and several family members is deposited in the Islington Local History Centre Archive.[10]
Radford had an interest in literature and published occasional verses and essays. In 1894 he wrote Shylock and Others a selection of eight literary studies (published by T Fisher Unwin) and in 1917 he published Verses and Versicles (T Fisher Unwin). But he also had an interest in Shakespeare. In 1884, the Liberal politician Augustine Birrell published a collection of essays entitled Obiter Dicta (Elliot Stock). Radford had anonymously written one of the essays, on Sir John Falstaff, and this was made public in 1887.[11]
Radford died at his residence, Chiswick House, Ditton Hill on 5 October 1917, aged 66 years.[2]