Binns, Joseph Arthur

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Portrait of Joseph Arthur Binns, Registrar in Bankruptcy

Biographical note in Sowden's notebooks:

Mr Binns was born at Bingley in 1826. he was educated at a Mr Richardson's village school. Soon after leaving school he entered the office of the late Mr J. A. Busfield, Solicitor of Bradford, and had charge from 1845 to 1847 of the Audit of the Local Courts of Request at Bradford, Batley & Keighley; from 1847 to 188[?] of the accounts of fourteen County Courts in Yorkshire & Lancashire in association with Mr J. A. Busfield of Upwood; and for a year later as Auditor appointed by the Treasury. He was for many years a contributor to newspapers of political & social "leaders" & of poetry, the last primarily published in the Spectator. To Chambers Encyclopedia he contributed under the headings of Chartism, Friendly Society, Savings Banks, Trade Unions, Socialism, York & Yorkshire. He wrote for the Yorkshire Geological & Polytechnic Society a memoir of Dr. Scoresby (Vicar of Bradford, Whalefisher, Polar Explorer & Magnetician) for publication in their journal. Mr Binns was a director & president of the Bradford Third Equitable Building Society, of which he was one of the founders, for 16 years from 1854 to 1871 and he was one of its secretaries from 1871 to 1883, and from 1833 a director until his death. He was a member of the Town Council, representing Manningham Ward from 1884 to 1888, when he retired, having been 3 years Vice Chairman of the Free Library Committee. Mr Binns in 1871 entered into partnership with Mr Charles Lund, accountant, who had been appointed secretary of the Third Equitable Building Society upon its formation. At the same time Mr Wm. Mitchell was made partner under the name of Messrs Lund, Binns & Mitchell as accountants & joint secretaries of the Society. Mr Binns ????? having left the directorship. In 1883 he retired from the firm to take up the important post of Official Receiver in Bradford District for Bankruptcy. He was re-elected a director after his verification as secretary and in 1892 became the Chair,am until his death. He was also Official Receiver until his death. he was Chairman of the Yorkshire Investment & American Mortgage Company Ltd. He was a Liberal in politics & for many years took a most active part with the Liberal party & at one period in his career he had the entire charge of several elections of the Old Northern Division of the West Riding. In his younger days he was a Wesleyan local preacher & an ardent ???? advocate of temperance, but subsequently for a number of years he associated himself with the Unitarian body in Bradford.

Year

1889

Creator

John Sowden

Image filename

sowden-85