Thomas Attwood

Thomas Attwood (born Oct. 6, 1783, Halesowen, Worcestershire, Eng.—died March 6, 1856, Great Malvern, Worcestershire) was an English economist and leader in the electoral reform movement.

Attwood entered his father’s banking firm in Birmingham, Eng., in 1800. After his election, in 1811, as high bailiff of the city, he showed increasing concern with currency questions and sought more equitable representation for the middle and lower classes in the House of Commons. He founded, in January 1830, the Birmingham Political Union, regarded as the political organization most effective in exerting pressure on the government for passage of the Reform Bill of 1832. Attwood formed the union because of widespread economic distress, particularly after 1826. Through its action, working-class protest was strengthened by middle-class agitation for parliamentary reform to secure currency reform. The union’s structure and methods were applied in many parts of the country. After passage of the Reform Bill, Attwood was elected a member of Parliament for Birmingham, for which he sat until 1839.