Sir William Watson Rutherford, 1st Baronet (1853 – 3 December 1927) was a Conservative party politician in the United Kingdom.
He served as mayor of Liverpool between 1902 and 10 January 1903 when he resigned, and was re-elected on 4 February 1903 for a second term[1] He became Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool West Derby from 1903 to 1918, and for Liverpool Edge Hill from 1918 to 1923.
He was made a baronet on 24 July 1923. He developed the Rutherford Code for transmitting chess moves over a telegraph.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Samuel Wasse Higginbottom |
Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby 1903–1918 |
Succeeded by Sir F. E. Smith |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Liverpool Edge Hill 1918–1923 |
Succeeded by John Henry Hayes |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet 1923–1927 |
Succeeded by (John) Hugo Rutherford |