Thomas Speight (6 July 1844 – 25 May 1921) was owner of Thomas Speight & Co. Mohair Merchants in Bradford, Yorkshire and was Mayor of Bradford from 1896 to 1898.
Background and Civic Life
Thomas Speight was born in Catterall, Lancashire, England on 6 July 1844. He was a successful inventor and businessmanHorace Hird, "How a city groes", pp. 25-30, Bradford, 1966Thomas Speight & H. W. Whitehead, "Machine for Oiling and Drying Wool", US Patent 345,185, granted July 6, 1886 and became the owner of Thomas Speight & Co. Mohair Merchants in Bradford, YorkshireThe Wool Record & Textile World: Volume 20, page 572, January 1, 1921, I.P.C. Business Press and built a large factory, the Burlington Works, in Thornbury.Britain from above: Image of the Burlington factory from 1930 In 1986, Councillor Thomas Speight was a director of the Peoples Palace theater on Manchester Road.The Era (London, Greater London, England), 14 Mar 1896, Page 28Bradford-Time-Line: Star Music Hall / Peoples' Palace / Palace Theatre In 1894, at age 50, he turned his hand to civic affairs and represented Bradford Moor Ward. Two years later, in November 1896, Thomas Speight was elected Mayor of Bradford and served until November 1898.James, Parker, Illustrated, rambles, from, Hipperholme, to, Tong, pages xii, 329 In 1897, he presided over the celebrations occasioned by the 50th anniversary (golden jubilee) of the incorporation of Bradford as a city and the 60th anniversary (diamond jubilee) of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne.Alan Hall, Bradford in 100 dates: 1987 June 9th, The History Press, March 2, 2015 Known as the "Jubilee Mayor", his image appears on the reverse of a commemorative medal struck for the occasion. In 1898, Speight was instrumental in establishing Cartwright Hall, an art gallery in Lister Park.Bradford Historical Society: Cartwright Memorial Hall Speight lived in Scarr Hall (now Bradford Moor golf club).The Hackney Stud Book, Vol. XVI, page 303, February 1899 Speight died in 1921 and is buried in Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford.Grave of Thomas Speight, Undercliffe Cemetery A detailed biography of Speight and his family was compiled by D. Broomfield in 2021.D. Broomfield, "Thomas Speight", Underclifffe Cemetery: history, March 2021
Speight was preceded in office by William Willis Wood (1844–1921), who was Mayor of Bradford from 1894 to 1896.
Personal Notably, Speight's daughter, Annie, married Wood's eldest son, Arthur (1861–1905) in 1889. Their only son, Stanley Speight Wood (1889–1918), served in the Royal Army Service Corps and died in Baghdad, Iraq, in World War I.Imperial War Museum: "Lives of the first World War: Stanley Speight WoodUK, De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914–1919 Volume 4, page 243: Stanley Speight Wood Obituary
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