Sydney Gedge (16 October 1829 – 6 April 1923) was a British people Conservative politician and prominent lay member of the Church of England.
Early life and education
Gedge was born on 16 October in
North Runcton,
Norfolk. He was the eldest son of the Reverend Sydney Gedge. He received his education at King Edward's School, Birmingham and later attended Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, He graduated in 1854 with a first-class degree in the Moral Science Tripos.
Legal career
Gedge became a
solicitor and served as a senior partner in
Gedge, Fisher &
Gedge, a law firm. In 1870, the firm became solicitors to the London School Board, and Gedge held that position of solicitor to the board for twenty years.
Political career
Gedge made his first attempt at parliamentary election in 1880 as a candidate for Cambridge, but was unsuccessful. He contested Luton as a conservative candidate in 1885 but was defeated.
In 1886 he was elected as one of two Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) for Stockport, serving until his defeat in the 1892 general election. He returned to the House of Commons in 1895 as the MP for Walsall, defeating the sitting Liberal Arthur Hayter.
Beyond parliament, Gedge remained active in local governance. In November 1900, he was elected member of the London School Board.
Involvement in the Church of England
Gedge was actively involved in the Church of England, serving as a diocesan
lay reader of London and Rochester and he was also a member of the House of Laymen of the
General Synod. Additionally He was a governor of several religious and educational institutions, including
Ridley Hall,
Wycliffe Hall, Westfield College for Women, and Christ's Hospital, and Chairman of Henley's Telegraph Works Co. He was associated with the Church Missionary Society.
And was a member of the
Carlton Club and the Junior Constitutional Club.
Personal life and death
Gedge married
Augusta Herring in 1857. He died at his home in
Mitcham,
Surrey, on 6 April 1923, aged 93.
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