Birmingham Town Council
He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham, parks, and what at the time was called 'gas-and-water socialism'. He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878-1879. He was responsible for free libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company.
Read more about this topic: Jesse Collings
Famous quotes containing the words town and/or council:
“A blessing through the ages thus
Shield all thy roofs and towers!
God with the fathers, so with us,
Thou darling town of ours!”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I haven’t seen so much tippy-toeing around since the last time I went to the ballet. When members of the arts community were asked this week about one of their biggest benefactors, Philip Morris, and its requests that they lobby the New York City Council on the company’s behalf, the pas de deux of self- justification was so painstakingly choreographed that it constituted a performance all by itself.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)