John Sharp Higham
# John Sharp Higham

John Sharp Higham (14 June 1857 – 5 January 1932) was a British Liberal Party politician and cotton manufacturer.

## Background

A son of Eli Higham, a cotton manufacturer from Accrington. He was educated privately. He married in 1899, Pollie Hartley, daughter of William Pickles Hartley of Southport. They had three sons and one daughter.

## Career

He was Chairman of his father-in-law's business, W. P. Hartley Ltd, jam manufacturers. He was also Chairman of his family cotton manufacturing business, Highams Ltd of Accrington, Rochdale and Manchester. He served on Accrington Town Council. He was Mayor of Accrington from 1899 to 1901. He was a member of Lancashire County Council for twelve years. He was a Justice of the Peace in Accrington. He was Liberal MP for the Sowerby Division of Yorkshire from 1904 to 1918. He was elected at the first time of asking in 1904, holding the Liberal seat at a by-election;

1904 Sowerby by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,049 | 60.9 |
| | Conservative | William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe | 3,877 | 39.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,172 | 21.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 80.6 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | |

General election 1906: Sowerby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,482 | 61.6 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe | 4,034 | 38.4 | -0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,448 | 23.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 84.2 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.7 | |

In parliament, he was an advanced radical in favour of Church Disestablishment, Irish Home Rule and the Nationalization of the Railways.

General election January 1910: Sowerby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,811 | 58.8 | -2.8 |
| | Conservative | William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe | 4,781 | 41.2 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,030 | 17.6 | -5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 90.5 | +6.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.8 | |

At the General Election of December 1910, he was re-elected unopposed. He was a Member of the Land Values Group which favoured rating reform. He defended his seat at the General Election of 1918, the 'coupon' election; he stood as a Liberal but when offered endorsement from the Coalition Government, rejected it. As a result, he finished third;

General election 1918: Sowerby :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | NADSS | Robert Hewitt Barker | 8,287 | 37.0 | n/a |
| | Labour | John William Ogden | 7,306 | 32.7 | |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,778 | 30.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 981 | 4.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 65.2 | |
| | Independent gain from Liberal | Independent gain from Liberal | Swing | | |

After the war he served as President of Southport Liberal Association. He was Treasurer of Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope and Temperance Union. He was President of the United Kingdom Commercial Travellers’ Association from 1926 to 1927.

## Sources

* Who Was Who
* British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, Craig, F. W. S.
