James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton
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- For other persons named James Williamson, see James Williamson (disambiguation).
James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton (31 December 1842 – 27 May 1930) was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.
Williamson was a successful businessman, whose family business in Lancaster produced oil cloth and linoleum which were exported around the world.[1] With his father James Williamson, Snr he created the city's Williamson Park, on the site of former stone quarries on Lancaster moor. After the death of his second wife, Jessy, he built the Ashton Memorial on a hill in the park; the Edwardian baroque building is now used for exhibitions and for weddings.
He also donated the city's town hall and a monument to Queen Victoria, in the city's Dalton Square.
In the 1886 general election, he was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Lancaster, and held his seat at the 1892 election.
He was elevated to the peerage in 1895, as Baron Ashton, of Ashton in the County of Lancaster. The title became extinct upon his death in 1930.
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This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Blucher Heneage Marton |
Member of Parliament for Lancaster 1886–1895 |
Succeeded by William Henry Foster |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by new creation |
Baron Ashton 1895–1930 |
Succeeded by extinct |
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