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John Cropper (1797–1876) was a British philanthropist and abolitionist.〔 A businessman, he was known as "''the most generous man in Liverpool''".〔 ==Business and philanthropy== Cropper was renowned for being rich, but also being generous. It is said that a letter addressed to "''the most generous man in Liverpool''" ended up on his desk.〔(Kleinwort Benson ), Jehane Wake, p50, ISBN 0-19-828299-0〕 Every year he and his wife would entertain juvenile delinquents who were serving their sentences at the training ship "''Akbar''". Cropper would also hold a bible class every Sunday at a home the family had set up for "fallen girls." This was in addition to the ragged school they set up for local pauper's children. This school was known as "St. Croppers"〔(toxteth.net )〕 and is likely to be the one referred to in the poem below. In 1836, his father's partner, Robert Rathbone Benson (known as "Robert R"), had resigned membership from the Quakers. This was no small affair as the Quaker church was the centre of its members community.〔 Benson was involved with, and related to, Isaac Crewdson (a leader to the Manchester Quaker meeting). Crewdson had written and published a book in January 1835 called ''A Beacon to the Society of Friends''.〔 *〕 The controversy it ignited, which related to the role of evangelism in the Society, eventually led to the resignation of Crewdson〔(Kleinwort Benson ), Jehane Wake, ISBN 0-19-828299-0〕 and about 300 similarly minded people across the country.〔(The Beaconite Controversy ), Anna Braithwaite Thomas, 1912〕 Benson moved to Manchester. It was because of this internal controversy that on 31 January 1838, John Cropper's father James Cropper ended the partnership of Cropper, Benson & Co. which had made the family rich and wealthy. His father wanted to direct his energies to philanthropic interests and his two sons, John and Edward, had agreed.〔 In 1840, John Cropper journeyed to London to attend the World's anti-slavery convention on 12 June 1840. The picture above shows him in a painting made to commemorate the event which attracted delegates from America, France, Haiti, Australia, Ireland, Jamaica and Barbados.〔(The Anti-Slavery Society Convention ), 1840, Benjamin Robert Haydon, accessed 19 July 2008〕 Cropper joined the committee of the Liverpool City Mission and served as its President from 1847 to 1874.〔(Dingle Estate ), Toxteth.net〕 In 1853 Harriett Beecher Stowe visited England and stayed first at John Cropper's house, Dingle Bank.〔(Mrs Stowe in England ), "Daily Despatch", Richmond, 3 May 1853〕 On 23 September 1853 Cropper's third son, John Wakefield Cropper, married Susanna Elizabeth Lydia Arnold. Susanna was third daughter of the late Dr Arnold of Rugby School 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Cropper」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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