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Matthew Curtis (1807–1887) was an industrialist and civic leader in Manchester. He was Mayor of Manchester three times. Born in Manchester in 1807,〔Paul A. Pickering and Alex Tyrrell ''The People's Bread: a history of the Anti Corn Law League'' (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000) ISBN 0-7185-0218-3, 978-0-7185-0218-8. p. 275〕 Curtis was initially apprenticed to the firm of Joseph Chessborough Dyer,〔Lance Day & Ian McNeil ''Biographical dictionary of the history of technology'' (Taylor & Francis, 1996) ISBN 0-415-06042-7, 978-0-415-06042-4. p. 227〕 subsequently becoming foreman, and then succeeding in 1836 to the ownership of Dyer's business, which became Curtis, Parr & Walton.〔''Parliamentary Papers'', 17 March 1841. p 110–124. Pub. HMSO〕 By trade, Curtis was a wire-card manufacturer and a machine-maker. He was a partner in two businesses: Curtis, Parr & Walton, wire-card makers, and Parr, Curtis & Madely, machine-makers. These firms were involved in the manufacture of equipment for spinning cotton, the former in the production of Dyer's Frame and the latter producing Smith & Orr's Self-Acting Mule. By the middle of the nineteenth century, Curtis's firms were the largest manufacturers of cotton-spinning machinery in Britain.〔Albert Edward Musson & Eric Robinson ''Science and technology in the Industrial Revolution'' (Manchester University Press, 1969) ISBN 0-7190-0370-9, 978-0-7190-0370-7. p. 62, fn. 6〕 In December 1875, during his second term as Mayor of Manchester, Curtis put in place the copper ball on the summit of the Albert Square tower of the new Manchester Town Hall, which was nearing its completion in 1877.〔William E.A. Axon, ''The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885'' (J. Heywood, 1886) p. 355〕 Curtis was a council member of the Manchester Anti-Corn Law Association〔Pickering & Tyrrell, p. 275〕 and a founding director of the Manchester Athenaeum.〔Thomas Swindells ''Manchester Streets and Manchester Men'' (Cornish, 1906–1908) p. 33〕 He resided at Thornfield in Heaton Mersey, south of the city, and died on 9 June 1887〔''The London Gazette'', September 23, 1887〕 or 11 June 1887,〔''The Manchester Guardian'', 21 June 1887〕 during his third term as Mayor. He was married firstly to Amelia Curtis (d. between 1871 and 1881), with whom there were five or more children,〔Pickering & Tyrrell, p. 275〕 including sons John (1836–1878)〔Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, ''Armorial families : a directory of gentlemen of coat-armour'', Volume 1. (Edinburgh: T.C. & E.C. Jack, 1905)〕 and Richard. He subsequently married Charlotte Curtis (1824–1918). Curtis's great-granddaughter Lettice Curtis was a noted aviator.〔Lettice Curtis, Lettice Curtis - her autobiography, Red Kite, Walton on Thames, 2004, ISBN 0-9546201-1-9〕 The lych gate (1927) of St John's Church, Heaton Mersey carries an inscription, much faded, dedicated to Curtis and other, later members of the Curtis family.〔C. Hartwell, ''Lancashire: Manchester and the South East'', Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England. (Yale University Press, 2004) ISBN 978-0-300-10583-4. p. 230〕 ==References== 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「Matthew Curtis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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