Croft, Thomas William.

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Watercolour portrait of William Thomas Croft, Assistant Town Clerk.

from John Sowden's notebooks:

"The Assistant Town Clerk of the City of Bradford was born in 1845 at East Troy near Albany, United States of America, of Yorkshire parentage, and came to England in 1847. His father was Superintendent West Riding Constabulary for the Settle police division. In 1865 Mr Croft was appointed by Joseph Rainer, the then Town Clerk of Bradford, as assistant in his office where he has remained since, being appointed Assistant Town Clerk in 1857.

During the long period of Mr McGowan's town clerkship (1866 to 1896) Mr Croft was closely associated with Mr McGowan's work in Parliamentary and legal proceedings, as it was Mr Croft’s particular duty to attend to all conveyancing, legal and Parliamentary work connected with the acquisitions of property required for the various street improvements and for the various requirements of waterworks, towards the accomplishment of which Mr Croft energetically worked but the obtaining of Parliamentary powers in the year 1913 for the carrying out of a most comprehensive scheme of street improvements in the central area of the city, affecting about 8 acres of land will have a greater effect for the future of the city. As to the waterworks it has been necessary on account of the increasing demand for water both for domestic and trade purposes to be continually applying to Parliament for further powers.

Nearly the whole of these applications took place in the lifetime of Mr McGowan and during the latter part thereof Mr Croft was in almost personal touch with him in carrying out his duties. It will be seen that Mr Croft has been connected with the Corporation for 53 years during which time his work has brought him into(?) touch with the leaders of civic life in Bradford and also with the Parliamentary Committees in London and has caused him to become a familiar figure to almost every class in the city where he has witnessed so many changes. He died in 1921."

Year

1914

Creator

John Sowden.

Image filename

sowden-334