Charles Pearson - Citizendia

Charles Pearson (October 1793 - September 1862) was Solicitor to the City of London and an early promoter of the need for an underground railway in central London. Year 1793 ( MDCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday A "solicitor" is a term used in many Common law jurisdictions for a lawyer who offers legal services outside of the courts For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Pearson was born in the City of London, the son of an upholsterer and feather merchant. Upholstery is the work of providing Furniture, especially seats with Padding, springs Webbing, and fabric or Leather He qualified as a solicitor in 1816 and shortly afterwards was elected as a councilman of the City of London Corporation. Year 1816 ( MDCCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year A councillor or councilor ( Cllr, Coun, Clr or Cr for short is a member of a Local government council such as a The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. He became City Solicitor in 1839 and held the office until his death. Year 1839 ( MDCCCXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common

Despite his comfortable upbringing and his social status, Pearson was something of a radical and throughout his life he fought a number of campaigns on progressive and reforming issues including the removal from the Monument of the inscription blaming the Great Fire of London on Catholics and the overturning of the ban on Jews becoming brokers in the City. The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known as The Monument, is a 61 metre (202 ft tall stone Roman doric column in the City of London, near This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A stock broker or stockbroker is a qualified and regulated professional who buys and sells shares and other securities through Market makers or

Campaigning for an underground railway

Recognising the increasing congestion in the City and its rapidly growing suburbs, in 1845 Pearson published a pamphlet calling for the construction of an underground railway through the Fleet valley to Farringdon. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The River Fleet is the largest of London 's subterranean rivers It formerly flowed on the surface Farringdon is an historic area of the City of London, represented today by the wards of Farringdon Within and Farringdon Without. The proposed railway would have been an atmospheric railway with trains pushed through tunnels by compressed air. An atmospheric railway is a Railway that uses air Pressure to provide power for propulsion Although this proposal came to nothing (and would almost certainly have been a failure if it had been built, due to the shortcomings of the technology proposed), Pearson continued to lobby for a variety of railway schemes throughout the 1840s and 1850s including a central railway station for London akin to Grand Central Terminal later built in New York. Events and trends Technology First use of General anesthesia in an operation by Crawford Long. Events and Trends Industry Production of Steel revolutionized by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman "Grand Central Station" redirects here For other uses see Grand Central. The City of New York

In 1854 a Royal Commission was set-up to examine a number of new proposals for railways in London. Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year The term Royal Commission may also be used in the United Kingdom to describe the group of Lords Commissioners who may act in the stead of the Pearson made a proposal for a railway connecting the London Termini and presented as evidence the first survey of traffic coming into London which demonstrated the high level of congestion caused by the huge number of carts, cabs and omnibuses filling the roads. Many of the proposed schemes were rejected but the Commission did recommend that a railway be constructed linking the termini with the Docks and the General Post Office. The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London. A parliamentary bill for a railway between Praed Street in Paddington and Farringdon received assent in 1854 establishing the Metropolitan Railway. For other uses see Bill. A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a Legislature that has not been ratified, adopted Praed Street (pronounced 'prayd' rhymes with 'laid' is a street in London 's Paddington district (now part of the City of Westminster) most notable Paddington is an area of the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of Lawmaking by formally assenting to an Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year The Metropolitan Railway (MetR and the Metropolitan District Railway (District were the first two underground railways to be built in London, creating the world's

Although not a director or significant shareholder of the new company, Pearson continued to promote the project over the next few years and use his influence to help the company raise the capital needed for the construction of the line. A mutual shareholder or stockholder is an Individual or company (including a Corporation) that legally owns one or more shares of In Economics, capital or capital Goods or real capital refers to items of extensive value He even persuaded the City of London to invest on the basis that the railway would alleviate the City's congestion problems.

By 1860 the funds had been collected and the final route decided. Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Work on the railway started; taking less than three years to excavate through some of the worst slums of Victorian London and under some of the busiest streets. A slum, as defined by the United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities

Pearson died in September 1862 and did not live to see the opening of the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In recognition of his role in lobbying for the railway, a grateful company gave Pearson's widow an annuity of £250 per year.

External links

London's Transport Museum - Photograph of Charles Pearson

Campaigning for an underground railway

External links

Further reading