- Mayor
- Bolton: 1965-66 (Labour)
- Born
- Clitheroe, Lancashire 24 February 1901
- Died
- Stapleton Avenue, Heaton, Bolton 6 February 1987
- Educated
- Bolton Municipal Secondary School
- About
-
Known as 'Harry' - Son of a Conservative Clitheroe Brewer, he came to live in Bolton when he was 10.
Railway engineer - spent his working life at Horwich Loco Works in various capacities and was Chairman of the old Railway Clerks Association (Horwich No 2 Branch) and eventually rose to a seat on the Executive of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association in 1955.
Represented Bradford Ward from 1946. Alderman 1959 and was later made an Honorary Alderman. Retired from politics after losing his seat in 1973.
He was the Leader of the Labour Group.
He was made a Freeman of the County Borough of Bolton on 5 June 1973 alongside Thomas Parry Dunning.
Chairman of the Arts and Libraries Committees. He was responsible for starting Bolton's watercolour collection and, as personal friend of the sculptor Jacob Epstein was instrumental in Bolton acquiring several of his works.
He chaired the Committee to oversee the transition from County Borough to Metropolitan Borough in 1973/4.
He had a great interest in education and the arts and served on several advisory boards at local, regional and national level. He was the founder and first Chairman of the North West Arts Association from 1975-1979.
He was a founder of Bolton Civic Trust and the Bolton branch of the Historical Society of Great Britain.
He was a prime mover in the establishment of the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, being a founder Trustee and later Chairman of the Octagon Theatre Trust.
He was behind a scheme to give local authority support to the region's then struggling orchestras and became Vice President and Life Guest of the Hallé orchestra in Manchester.
Awarded CBE in January 1970 for services to the community in Bolton.
Member of the Court of Lancaster University and served on the Governing Body of Manchester University as well as being a Governor of Bolton School.
Chairman of Bolton Institute of Technology, Bolton Technical College and Bolton College of Art.
Awarded an honorary MA degree at Manchester in 1974.
He was Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester in 1979.
Governor of the educational charity, Henry Mather's Foundation.
Chairman of Bolton Fabian Society.
He was a keen sportsman, mountaineer and rock climber, climbing Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn and in 1933 he was part of the first team to climb Scafell, Ben Nevis and Snowdon in 24 hours. During his Mayoral year he climbed Bolton Town Hall clock tower - apparently on the spur of the moment because it had scaffolding round it at the time and the temptation "to see what it was like" was too great!
He was the last surviving Alderman in Bolton. He was also the last surviving Freeman of the old County Borough, reflecting that "Monty is dead, Dido has been scrapped and now there is only me left."
He said he would have liked to have gone to university but that "Bolton Public Library is my University."
He was an avid collector of art books - over 4,000 at his death - and of 18th century watercolour paintings.
In June 1989 The Lucas Galleries in Bolton Museum and Art Gallery were dedicated in his memory and his personal art collection entrusted to the gallery on permanent loan.
His second wife, Dorothy, was Mayoress.
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