John Hodson Kearsley
John Hodson Kearsley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | October 2, 1842 (aged 57) |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, brewer |
| Years active | 1813–1839 |
| Known for | Member of Parliament for Wigan, Mayor of Wigan |
John Hodson Kearsley (28 February 1785 – 2 October 1842) was a British political figure who represented Wigan as a Member of Parliament from 1831 to 1832 and later from 1835 until 1837.
He was the third son of Edward Kearsley, who co-owned a cotton mill in Wigan with his brother-in-law John Hodson. Instead of pursuing a career in the cotton trade, Kearsley established himself as a brewer and accumulated considerable wealth through inheritances received from both his father and father-in-law.
The Hodson family wielded considerable political power in Wigan; John Hodson, Kearsley’s uncle, served as the town’s MP from 1802 to 1820, succeeded by Kearsley’s cousin, James Alexander Hodson, who held the seat until 1831. Kearsley held the office of mayor of Wigan three times—in 1813, 1819, and 1825—and commanded the local yeomanry unit known as the Wigan Volunteer Light Horse as its colonel. During the 1830 general election, he unexpectedly stood alongside his cousin but failed to secure a seat. Following Hodson’s retirement, Kearsley won a by-election despite limited electoral backing and encountered significant local resistance, including physical assaults and property damage during the 1831 general election.
A member of the Conservative party, Kearsley opposed all three iterations of the Reform Bills and suffered a heavy loss in the subsequent 1832 general election. He regained his parliamentary position in the 1835 general election but was narrowly defeated both in the 1837 general election and an 1839 by-election, after which he withdrew from electoral politics. He passed away in 1842, having lost his wife and without leaving any children. His surname is occasionally recorded as "Hodgson."