William Pollard Byles

Who was William Pollard Byles?

Sir William Pollard Byles was a British newspaper owner and Liberal politician.

Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, in 1839, W P Byles was the son of William Byles, proprietor of the Bradford Observer. He eventually succeeded his father as owner of the newspaper, which had been renamed the Yorkshire Observer. He married Sarah Anne Unwin of Colchester in 1865. They had no children.

In 1892 he was elected as Liberal member of parliament for Shipley, but lost the seat three years later to Fortescue Flannery, his Conservative opponent.

Byles was a pacifist, and actively opposed the Second Boer War. In 1900 he stood on an anti-war ticket as Labour candidate at Leeds East, but was defeated.

He returned to the Commons at the 1906 general election as Liberal MP for Salford North, and was knighted in 1911. Byles retained his seat until his death.

Sir William Pollard Byles died in October 1917 at his home in Hampstead, London.