John Thomas Wood (1849-1932)

John Thomas Wood (1849-1932), Chairman of Francis Morton and Co

1849 March 5th. Born at Aspull, near Wigan, the son of William Wood, Farmer, and his wife Mary

1885 Mentioned as 'Superintendent of Sewage' in Liverpool.

1891 Mention as late borough engineer of Cambridge.

1892 John Alexander Brodie entered into partnership with John Thomas Wood, M. Inst. C.E., as a consulting engineer, Wood and Brodie, and was responsible for carrying out a number of water and sewerage schemes and for the construction of docks, light railways, destructors and pumping stations.

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1932 Obituary

WE have to announce with regret that Mr. John T. Wood, chairman of Francis Morton and Co., Ltd., of Garston, until June last, died on December 15th.

Mr. Wood was born in 1849 at Aspull, near Wigan, and at eighteen years of age was articled to the late Mr. James Newlands, City Engineer of Liverpool.

In 1887 he became Borough Engineer of Cambridge, and after some years relinquished that position to take up private practice in Liverpool, where, later, he was joined in partnership by Mr. John A. Brodie, the late City Engineer and now Joint engineer of the Mersey tunnel scheme, which partnership terminated on Mr. Brodie being appointed City Engineer in 1898.

Subsequently, Mr. A. F. Fowler joined Mr. Wood, and they constructed several docks for Laird Brothers at Birkenhead. In conjunction with the late Mr. J. J. Webster, he was engineer for the Transporter Bridge at Widnes, erected in 1904-5.

Mr. Wood, along with several other prominent Liverpool and Manchester gentlemen, purchased the business of Francis Morton and Co., Ltd., in June 1898, of which company he succeeded as chairman, the late Colonel G. H. Morrison, of Messrs. Turner and Co., Dale-street, Liverpool, in 1901, and continued in that position until June, 1932, when he retired owing to ill health.

He was always greatly interested in farming and agricultural work, and was one of the founders with the late Lord Derby of the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society. He was also a member of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and was one of a number of delegate British farmers who visited Canada in 1890 at the invitation of the Canadian Government to report upon the agricultural conditions of the Dominion.

He was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and a Past-President of the Liverpool Engineering Society.

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1932 Obituary

"THE LATE MR. J. T. WOOD.

We regret to announce the death, on December 15, of Mr. John Thomas Wood, for many years Chairman of Messrs. Francis Morton and Company, Limited, bridge builders and constructional engineers, Hamilton Iron Works, Garston, Liverpool. Mr. Wood was born on March 5, 1849, at Aspull, near Wigan, and received his education at Wigan Grammar School and at Kirkby Lonsdale. His father farmed land which the family had owned for many generations, and Mr. Wood assisted him until 1868, when he was articled for three years to the late Mr. James Newlands, Borough Engineer of Liverpool. On completing his articles, Mr. Wood was appointed an engineering assistant to Mr. Newlands and, during the subsequent nine years, gained experience in all constructional and maintenance works pertaining to municipal engineering. In 1880, he was placed at the head of the Sewerage Department of the City of Liverpool, and, in the seven years during which he held the office, was responsible for the execution of works costing, in the aggregate, 500,0007. In February, 1887, Mr. Wood was appointed Engineer to the Cambridge Improvement Commissioners, and he carried out the necessary investigations for formulating a scheme for the main drainage of the Borough. The investigations were completed in November, 1888, when he relinquished his official position. He then started a private practice in Liverpool, where he finally elaborated the Cambridge sewerage scheme, and subsequently carried it out to a successful conclusion.

Mr. Wood was afterwards joined in partnership by Mr. John A. Brodie, who became President of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1920, and who is now joint engineer of the Mersey Tunnel Scheme. The partnership terminated, however, when Mr. Brodie was appointed City Engineer of Liverpool in 1898. Mr. A. F. Fowler later joined Mr. Wood in partnership, and subsequently they constructed several docks for Messrs. Laird Brothers, at Birkenhead. In conjunction with the late Mr. J. J. Webster, Mr. Wood designed and constructed the transporter bridge at Widnes, which was erected in 1904-5. Together with several other prominent Liverpool and Manchester men, Mr. Wood purchased the business of Messrs. Francis Morton and Company, Limited, in June, 1898. He succeeded the late Colonel G. H. Morrison as Chairman in 1901, and continued to occupy this position until June, 1932, when he retired owing to ill-health. Mr. Wood was a member of the Lancashire County Council, serving three years as a Councilor and six years as an Alderman. He was also, for some years, a member of the Liverpool City Council. Mr. Wood was always greatly interested in agriculture, and was one of the founders, with the late Lord Derby, of the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society. He was also a member of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. He became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers on December 6, 1892, and was a past-president of the Liverpool Engineering Society."

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