This is a list of councillors and aldermen elected or co-opted to the London County Council from its creation under the Local Government Act 1888 until 1919. There were nine triennial elections of the whole council during this period. Elections were postponed for the duration of the First World War.Elections resumed in 1919 under new electoral boundaries and are detailed in List of members of London County Council 1919–37.
Elections of councillors were held every three years. There were 118 councillors, with four elected to represent the City of London and two each for 57 electoral divisions. The divisions were identical to the constituencies for elections to the United Kingdom House of Commons that had been created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. The Progressive Party won a majority of seats in the 1889 elections, and retained it until 1907.
‡ The Lady Sandhurst (Progressive) received the second highest number of votes. However Beresford-Hope, who came third, petitioned on the grounds that a woman was not eligible to hold a seat on the county council. His petition was allowed and he was deemed elected.[15]
¶ Previously an alderman.
§ Jane Cobden (later Mrs Fisher Unwin), although elected, as a woman was barred from voting,[16] making it effectively vacant from 1889 to 1892.
The strength of the parties on the council after each election was as follows:[17]
| Party | Councillors 1889 | Aldermen 1889 | Total 1889 | Councillors 1892 | Aldermen 1892 | Total 1892 | Councillors 1895 | Aldermen 1895 | Total 1895 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 46 | 1 | 47 | 35 | 2 | 37 | 59 | 7 | 66 | |
| Progressive | 72 | 18 | 90 | 83 | 17 | 100 | 59 | 12 | 71 |
In 1904 the London School Board was abolished, and its responsibilities were transferred to the county council. At the 1904 election a number of outgoing school board members were elected as councillors.
¶ Previously an alderman.
The strength of the parties on the council after each election was as follows:[17]
| Party | Councillors 1898 | Aldermen 1898 | Total 1898 | Councillors 1901 | Aldermen 1901 | Total 1901 | Councillors 1904 | Aldermen 1904 | Total 1904 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 48 | 8 | 56 | 32 | 6 | 38 | 35 | 6 | 41 | |
| Progressive | 70 | 10 | 80 | 86 | 12 | 98 | 82 | 13 | 95 | |
| Labour | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
In addition to the 118 councillors the council consisted of 19 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Half of the aldermanic bench (nine or ten aldermen) were elected every three years following the tri-ennial council election. In the first election of aldermen in February 1889, ten of the nineteen chosen had three-year terms, retiring in 1892.
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| John Barker[37] | Progressive | ||
| Stephen Seaward Tayler | Progressive | ||
| Hon. Richard Cecil Grosvenor | Progressive | ||
| Samuel Hope Morley (resigned 15 January 1890) | Progressive | ||
| Thomas Eccleston Gibb | Progressive | ||
| Earl of Meath | Moderate | ||
| Evan Spicer | Progressive | ||
| Mark Beaufoy (resigned 15 January 1890) | Progressive | ||
| Emma Cons | Progressive | ||
| Rev Charles Fleming Williams | Progressive | ||
| Sir Vincent Kennett Barrington[38] (elected 4 February 1890)♦ | Moderate | ||
| Professor James Stuart MP (elected 4 February 1890)♦ | Progressive |
♦ Election held to fill two vacancies (Beaufoy and Morley)
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Lingen (resigned 14 March 1893) | Nominated by both parties | ||
| Lord Hobhouse (resigned 8 August 1892) | Nominated by both parties | ||
| Quintin Hogg | Progressive | ||
| Sir Thomas Farrer, (Lord Farrer from 1893) | Progressive | ||
| Frederic Harrison (resigned 18 October 1893) | Progressive | ||
| Edmund Routledge | Progressive | ||
| Frank Debenham (resigned 25 May 1894) | Progressive | ||
| Arthur Arnold | Progressive | ||
| George William Erskine Russell | Progressive | ||
| Earl Compton†[39] (11 October 1892 in place of Hobhouse) | Progressive | ||
| John Fletcher Moulton (11 April 1893 in place of Lingen,[40] declined seat on a technicality 15 April 1893,[41] re-elected 9 May 1893[42]) | Progressive | ||
| David Martineau (7 November 1893 in place of Harrison)[43] | Progressive | ||
| Lord Welby (12 June 1894 in place of Debenham)[44] | Progressive |
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Spicer[45] ‡ | Progressive | ||
| Rev Charles Fleming Williams ‡ | Progressive | ||
| Professor James Stuart MP ‡ | Progressive | ||
| Sir John Lubbock † | Progressive | ||
| Richard Melvill Beachcroft † | Moderate | ||
| Thomas Chambers (died 6 December 1895) | Progressive | ||
| Alfred Hoare † | Moderate | ||
| John George Rhodes † (died 22 January 1895) | Progressive | ||
| Henry Robert Taylor | Progressive | ||
| Ben Tillett | Labour Progressive | ||
| Lord Tweedmouth[46] (5 February 1895 in place of Rhodes) | Progressive | ||
| Sir Robert Arthur Arnold[47] ♣ (17 December 1895 in place of Chambers) | Progressive |
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Farrer‡[48] (resigned 15 March 1898) | Progressive | ||
| Rt Hon. C T Ritchie (resigned 14 October 1895) | Moderate | ||
| Lord Welby‡ | Progressive | ||
| Hon Evelyn Hubbard (resigned 18 March 1898) | Moderate | ||
| Sir Godfrey Lushington (resigned 11 March 1898) | Nominated by both parties | ||
| Charles Algernon Whitmore MP | Moderate | ||
| Earl of Onslow (resigned 16 October 1899) | Moderate | ||
| Wiloughby Hyatt Dickinson† | Progressive | ||
| Nathaniel William Hubbard† | Progressive | ||
| Sir Harry Bodkin Poland QC[49] (29 October 1895 in place of Ritchie) | Moderate | ||
| Earl of Meath[50] (29 March 1898)♦ | Moderate | ||
| Sir Algernon Edward West (29 March 1898)♦ | Progressive | ||
| Thomas Bentley Westacott† (29 March 1898)♦ | Moderate | ||
| Sir William Henry Porter, Bt[51] (24 October 1899 in place of Onslow) | Moderate |
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Tweedmouth[52] ‡ | Progressive | ||
| Dr William Farewell Blake† | Progressive | ||
| The Earl Russell | Progressive | ||
| Robert Antrobus† | Moderate | ||
| Sir Arthur Arnold‡ (died 20 May 1902) | Progressive | ||
| Jervoise Athelstane Baines (resigned 25 February 1902) | Moderate | ||
| George Dew | Labour Progressive | ||
| Harry Gosling | Labour Progressive | ||
| Alfred Hoare‡ (resigned 14 November 1899) | Moderate | ||
| Rev Charles Fleming Williams‡ | Progressive | ||
| Lord Ribblesdale[53] (21 November 1899 in place of Hoare) | Progressive | ||
| Sir Frederic Lacey Robinson[54] (4 March 1902 in place of Baines) | Moderate | ||
| Lord Sandhurst (21 June 1902 in place of Arnold) | Progressive |
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| C. W. Bowerman[55] | Progressive | ||
| Wiloughby Dickinson‡ | Progressive | ||
| Dr Elijah Baxter Forman | Moderate | ||
| Sir George David Harris† (died 28 February 1902)[56] | Moderate | ||
| Sidney James Mark Low (resigned 24 October 1905) | Moderate | ||
| Evan Spicer‡ | Progressive | ||
| Lord Welby‡ | Progressive | ||
| Sir Algernon West‡ | Progressive | ||
| Walter Baldwyn Yates† | Progressive | ||
| Sir William James Bell[57] (18 March 1902 in place of Harris) | Moderate | ||
| Henry Torrens Anstruther[58] (7 November 1905 in place of Low) | Moderate |
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Fowell Buxton[59] | Moderate | ||
| Isaac Mitchell (resigned 8 October 1907) | Progressive | ||
| Sir Francis Mowatt (resigned 21 July 1907) | Progressive | ||
| William Edward Mullins † | Progressive | ||
| Sir William Blake Richmond (resigned 21 November 1905) | Progressive | ||
| William Stephen Sanders | Progressive | ||
| Lord Sandhurst‡ (resigned 2 July 1907) | Progressive | ||
| Richard Strong† (resigned 12 March 1907) | Progressive | ||
| William Whitaker Thompson | Moderate | ||
| Edward White | Moderate | ||
| Rev. John Scott Lidgett[60] (5 December 1905 in place of Richmond) | Progressive | ||
| Alfred James Shepheard[61] (19 March 1907 in place of Strong) | Progressive | ||
| Henry Lorenzo Jephson[62] (23 July 1907)♦ | Progressive | ||
| Lewin Sharp† (23 July 1907)♦ | Progressive | ||
| Ben Cooper†[63] (5 November 1907 in place of Mitchell) | Labour Progressive |
| Alderman | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Torrens Anstruther‡[64] (resigned 11 October 1910) | Municipal Reform | ||
| William St John Fremantle Brodrick (succeeded to title Viscount Midleton 18 April 1907) | Municipal Reform | ||
| Vincent Caillard (resigned 19 November 1907) | Municipal Reform | ||
| William Hayes Fisher | Municipal Reform | ||
| Lord Michelham | Municipal Reform | ||
| George King Naylor | Municipal Reform | ||
| Captain George Swinton (resigned 5 June 1912) | Municipal Reform | ||
| Henry Ward† | Progressive | ||
| McKinnon Wood† (resigned 2 March 1909) | Progressive | ||
| Sir George Taubman Goldie[65] (26 November 1907 in place of Caillard, resigned 6 February 1912) | Municipal Reform | ||
| Hon. Neil Primrose[66] (9 March 1909 in place of Wood) | Progressive | ||
| Francis Robert Ince Anderton[67] (25 October 1910 in place of Anstruther) | Municipal Reform | ||
| Major Percy Machell[68] (13 February 1912 in place of Goldie) | Municipal Reform | ||
| Sir Herbert James Francis Parsons[69] (23 July 1912 in place of Swinton) | Municipal Reform |
In 1906 the Moderate grouping was reorganised as the Municipal Reform Party and as such gained a majority and control of the Council in the 1907 elections. Labour Party councillors were also elected for the first time independent of the Progressive Party in 1910. The elections due to be held in 1916 were postponed due to the First World War, and councillors elected in 1913 remained in office until 1919. The Elections and Registration Act 1915 gave the council the power to co-opt members to fill casual vacancies.
The first women who could clearly serve as members were elected as councillors (and as an alderman) in 1910 (Henrietta Adler, Susan Lawrence and Lady St Helier). Prior to the Qualification of Women (County and Borough Councils) Act 1907, the position was in some respects equivocal. Lady Sandhurst had been elected to the Council in 1889, but her election was challenged by petition,[15] and the Court of Appeal ruled that a woman was ineligible for election. Jane Cobden had, however, also been elected in 1889, and Emma Cons had been elected as an alderman in 1889; neither of their elections was challenged within the requisite time limit. The Court of Appeal subsequently held,[16] however, following Lady Sandhurst's case, that any woman who cast a vote would be voting whilst disqualified from holding office, and so liable to a financial penalty for having voted.
The strength of the parties on the council after each election was as follows:[17]
| Party | Councillors 1907 | Aldermen 1907 | Total 1907 | Councillors 1910 | Aldermen 1910 | Total 1910 | Councillors 1913 | Aldermen 1913 | Total 1913 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Reform | 79 | 11 | 90 | 60 | 17 | 77 | 67 | 15 | 88 | |
| Progressive | 37 | 8 | 45 | 55 | 2 | 57 | 49 | 4 | 53 | |
| Labour | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Independents | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ten aldermen were appointed in 1910 and nine in 1913 to serve a six-year term. Elections due in 1916 were postponed until 1919, and vacancies were filled by co-option.
| Year of election | Alderman | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910[85] | Arthur Shirley Benn | Municipal Reform | Defeated candidate at the election | |
| 1910 | Alfred Fowell Buxton | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | Harold Cox | Municipal Reform | Resigned 16 July 1912 | |
| 1910 | Geoffrey Drage | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | John William Gilbert | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | Bernard Henry Holland | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | Frederick Rogers | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | Henry Vincent Rowe | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | Lady St Helier | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1910 | Percy Coleman Simmons | Municipal Reform | Defeated candidate at the election | |
| 1912 | Lord Monk Bretton | Municipal Reform | co-opted to fill vacancy | |
| 1912 | Henry L Cripps | Municipal Reform | co-opted to fill vacancy. Resigned 1913 | |
| 1912 | Maurice George Carr Glyn | Municipal Reform | co-opted to fill vacancy. Resigned 1914 | |
| 1912 | Major Percy Wilfrid Machell | Municipal Reform | co-opted to fill place of Sir George Goldie, resigned.[86] | |
| 1913[87] | Cyril Jackson | Municipal Reform | resigned 1916 | |
| 1913 | William Hunt | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1913 | Sir Herbert James Francis Parsons | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1913 | Jessie Wilton Phipps | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1913 | Sir George Dashwood Taubman Goldie | Municipal Reform | ||
| 1913 | Lord Chelmsford | Municipal Reform | Previous a councillor for South Kensington | |
| 1913 | Oswald Partington | Progressive | ||
| 1913 | Alfred Henry Scott | Progressive | ||
| 1913 | George Alexander Hardy | Progressive | ||
| 1913 | Katherine Wallas | Progressive | To serve until 1916 in place of Henry L Cripps, resigned | |
| 1915 | Howard Willmott Liversidge | Municipal Reform | co-opted to serve in place of Lord Monk Bretton, resigned | |
| 1916 | Francis Capel Harrison | Municipal Reform | co-opted to serve until 1919 in place of Cyril Jackson, resigned |