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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Sir]]
| name = William Mitchell Acworth
| honorific_suffix = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India|KCSI]]
| image = Sir William Acworth.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth date|1850|11|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Rothley]], [[Leicestershire]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1925|4|2|1850|11|22|df=y}}
| death_place = [[The Albany]], [[London]], England
}}

'''Sir William Mitchell Acworth''' [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India|KCSI]] (22 November 1850 – 2 April 1925) was a British railway economist, barrister and politician.<ref name="odnb">{{cite ODNB|last=Sherrington|first=C E R|title=Acworth, Sir William Mitchell|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30330|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/30330|accessdate=18 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="whowho">{{cite web|title=ACWORTH, Sir William Mitchell|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U192590|work=[[Who Was Who]]}}</ref><ref name="obit">{{cite news|title=Obituary: Sir W. M. Acworth. Expert On Railway Economics|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=3 April 1925|page=16}}</ref>

==Early life and background==
The third son of the Reverend William Acworth of the Hall, [[Southstoke|South Stoke]], near [[Bath, Somerset]], and Margaret ''née'' Dundas, he was born at [[Rothley]], [[Leicestershire]], where his father was [[vicar]] in 1850.<ref name=odnb /><ref name=whowho /> He was educated at [[Uppingham School]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford]]. He graduated with a master's degree in modern history in 1875.<ref name=odnb /><ref name=whowho /><ref name=obit />

==Career==
For eighteen months after his graduation he worked in Germany as English tutor to [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Prince Wilhelm]] and [[Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)|Prince Henry]] of Prussia, the future ''[[German Emperor|Kaiser]]'' Wilhelm II and his brother.<ref name=obit /> He subsequently took a post as a master in [[Dulwich College]], where he remained until 1885.<ref name=odnb /><ref name=obit />

Acworth became involved in [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative and Unionist]] politics of London, and in 1886 he was elected a member of
the [[Metropolitan Asylums Board]].<ref name="odnb" /><ref name="obit" /> When the first elections to the [[London County Council]] was held in January 1889, Acworth was nominated as a candidate of the Conservative-backed [[Municipal Reform Party|Moderate Party]]. He was elected as one of two councillors representing [[Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Dulwich]].<ref>''The County Councils – London Polls'', The Times, 18 January 1889, p.9</ref> He served only one term, standing down at the next council elections in 1892.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=W Eric|title=Achievement. A Short History of the London County Council|year=1965|publisher=[[Longmans]]|location=London|pages=252}}</ref> In 1890 he was [[call to the bar|called to the bar]] at the [[Inner Temple]].<ref name="odnb" /><ref name="obit" />

In 1889 he wrote ''Railways of England'' followed in the following year by ''Railways of Scotland''.<ref name=odnb /><ref name=whowho /> These two books comprised a series of descriptive articles of the railways, but his later work concentrated on the economics and statistics of the industry. He visited the United States where he studied the statistical methods used on the railroads there, and on his return wrote his third book, ''Railways and the Traders'' (1891), which was critical of the accounting practices of the British railway companies.<ref name=obit /> From the mid-1890s he lectured at the newly formed [[London School of Economics]] on railways.<ref name=odnb /> In 1905 he published his fourth book ''The Elements of Railway Economics'', which was widely used as a textbook.<ref name=odnb /><ref name=whowho /><ref name=obit /> In 1919 he gave evidence to the [[United States Congress]] before the Joint Committee on Inter-State and Foreign Commerce.<ref name=odnb /> His testimony formed the basis of his fifth and final book, ''State Railway Ownership'', was published in 1920.<ref name=whowho/>

He maintained his connections with the Conservative Party, and was adopted as their candidate for [[Keighley (UK Parliament constituency)|Keighley]] in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]]. He contested the seat on three occasions in [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906]], [[January 1910 United Kingdom general election|1910]] and [[1911 Keighley by-election|1911]] but failed to be elected.<ref name=odnb /><ref name=whowho />

His expertise led him to serve on the Royal Commission on Accidents to Railway Servant (1899),<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27085 |date=2 June 1899 |page=3516}}</ref> the Vice-Regal Commission on [[Rail transport in Ireland|Irish Railways]] (1906), the Royal Commission of Enquiry into [[Rail transport in Canada|Canadian Railways]] (1916), the Royal Commission on [[National Railways of Zimbabwe|South Rhodesian Railways]] (1918). He was also appointed a director of the [[Underground Electric Railways of London]] and of the [[Midland and South Western Junction Railway]].<ref name=odnb /><ref name=whowho />

In 1921 Acworth was [[knight bachelor|knighted]] and appointed chairman of the Committee on [[Rail transport in India|Indian Railways]].<ref name=odnb /><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32188 |date=11 January 1921 |supp=y |page=278}}</ref> The report of the committee, known as the "Acworth Report", led to reorganisation of railways, and the creation of a separate [[Railway Budget]], an arrangement which is absent in [[British Raj|British India]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Powell Anstey|first=Vera|title=The Economic Development of India|year=1952|publisher=Ayer Publishing|pages=136–137|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fq1MVCSqu4sC&q=acworth%20committee&pg=PA136|isbn=9780405097751}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Headrick|first=Daniel R|title=The tentacles of progress: technology transfer in the age of imperialism, 1850–1940|year=1988|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780195051162|pages=80|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0wjDxYlArQAC&q=acworth%20committee&pg=PA80}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Debroy|first=Bibek|title=Railway Budget 2012: Best time to raise fares is now|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-06/news/31127130_1_railways-budget-acworth-committee-railway-finances|access-date=19 March 2012|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|date=6 March 2012}}</ref> He was appointed a [[Order of the Star of India|Knight Commander of the Star of India]] in 1922.<ref name="odnb" /><ref name="obit" /><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32716 |date=2 June 1922 |supp=y |page=4322}}</ref> In 1923 he prepared a report on [[Rail transport in Austria|Austrian railways]] for the [[League of Nations]].<ref name=whowho />

He was married twice. In 1878 he married Elizabeth Louisa Oswald Brown, who died in 1904. In 1923 he married Elizabeth Learmonth Wotherspoon.

In 1924 he was given the task of reorganising the German Railways by the [[Inter-Allied Reparations Commission]]. The heavy workload led to a deterioration in his health, and he died suddenly at his London home at [[Albany (London)|The Albany]], [[Piccadilly]], aged 74.<ref>{{cite news|title=Deaths|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=3 April 1925|page=1}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=William Mitchell Acworth}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acworth, William Mitchell}}
[[Category:1850 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Uppingham School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Members of London County Council]]
[[Category:Members of the Inner Temple]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:British economists]]
[[Category:Masters of Dulwich College]]
[[Category:People from Rothley]]
[[Category:English non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Rail transport writers]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates]]
[[Category:English male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Railway officers in British India]]

William Mitchell Acworth - Revision history

>Citation bot: Alter: url. URLs might have been anonymized. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Abductive | Category:1925 deaths | via #UCB_Category 1134/2409