This is a list of persons who held the offices of chairman, vice chairman and deputy chairman of the London County Council. All three offices existed from 1889 to 1965.

Background The chairmanship and vice chairmanship were statutory offices created by the Local Government Act 1888. Both of these positions were generally filled by members of the majority party. The chairman chaired meetings of the council, and was the county's civic leader, filling a similar role to the mayor of a borough or city. The vice chairman performed these functions in his or her absence.

As part of the celebrations of the silver jubilee of George V in 1935 it was announced that the chairman would in future be entitled to use the style "right honourable", an honour already enjoyed by the Lord Mayor of London.

The council's standing orders also provided for the post of deputy chairman. This was initially a salaried position created to supervise the administration of the local authority. In 1894 the Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London strongly recommended that a clerk be appointed, independent of the parties on the council, as was the practice in municipal boroughs. A county clerk was duly appointed in 1895, and the deputy chairmanship became ceremonial. The office was filled by nominees of the opposition party on the council.

On 1 April 1965 the London County Council was abolished, with its successor authority being the Greater London Council.

Regalia The chairman had no badge of office until 1927. In 1909 the council had decided that no badge or device should be worn by the chairman. By 1926 the number of formal occasions attended by the chairman had increased, and it was felt that he was at a distinct disadvantage due to not having a distinguishing mark to indicate his office. In 1927 Major Lewis-Barned, councillor for South Paddington, agreed to cover the cost of a badge. The badge was made by an instructor at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and featured the council's coat of arms within an oval of London Pride. The badge was worn on a ribbon in a distinctive barry wavy argent and azure pattern derived from the arms. In 1950 similar, but smaller, badges were acquired for the use of the vice and deputy chairmen.

1889–1899

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman 1889Earl of RoseberySir John LubbockJoseph Firth Bottomley Firth (Died September 1889)Office vacant September – November 1889 1889–1890Earl of Rosebery Sir John Lubbock (July 1890)Sir John Lubbock Thomas FarrerAlfred H Haggis 1890–1891Sir John LubbockThomas FarrerAlfred Haggis (Died November 1891)Office vacant November 1891 – March 1892 1891–1892 1892–1893 Earl of Rosebery John Hutton (July 1892) John Hutton Charles Harrison (July 1892) Willoughby Dickinson 1893–1894 John Hutton Charles Harrison Willoughby Dickinson 1894–1895 Sir John Hutton Charles Harrison Willoughby Dickinson 1895–1896 Sir Arthur Arnold John Benn Willoughby Dickinson 1896–1897 Sir Arthur Arnold Dr William Job Collins Melvill Beachcroft 1897–1898 Dr William Job Collins Melvill Beachcroft Andrew Mitchell Torrance 1898–1899 Thomas McKinnon Wood Lord Welby Henry Percy Harris

1899–1909

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman 1899–1900 Lord Welby Richard Strong Thomas Lorimer Corbett 1900–1901 Willoughby Dickinson Andrew Mitchell Torrance John Fletcher 1901–1902 Andrew Mitchell Torrance John McDougall Arthur Rotton 1902–1903 John McDougall Lord Monkswell Henry Clarke 1903–1904 Lord Monkswell Edwin Cornwall Richard Atkinson Robinson 1904–1905 John Benn Edwin Cornwall Frederick Prat Alliston 1905–1906 Edwin Cornwall Evan Spicer Clifford Probyn 1906–1907 Evan Spicer Henry Ward Elijah Baxter Forman 1907–1908 Henry Percy Harris Herbert Stuart Sankey Fitzroy Hemphill 1908–1909 Richard Atkinson Robinson William Whitaker Thompson Arthur Acland Allen

1909–1919

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman 1909–1910 Sir Melvill Beachcroft Edward White Edward Smith 1910–1911 William Whitaker Thompson Cyril Cobb Alfred James Shepheard 1911–1912 Edward White Cyril Jackson Captain G S C Swinton (1912) Arthur B Russell 1912–1913 George SwintonLord Cheylesmore (April 1912) John Herbert Hunter Harry Gosling 1913–1914 Cyril Cobb Philip Pilditch William Cowlishaw Johnson 1914–1915 Viscount Peel Alfred Ordway Goodrich H. E. A. Cotton 1915–1916 Cyril Jackson Ernest Gray Percy Harris 1916–1917 Alfred Fowell Buxton William James Squires Henry Herman Gordon 1917–1918 Marquess of Crewe John Gilbert Thomas Frederick Hobson 1918–1919 Ronald Collet Norman Cecil Urquhart Fisher Katharine Wallas

1919–1929

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman1919–1920 Lord Downham Andrew Thomas Taylor Thomas Gautrey1920–1921 John Gilbert Jessie Wilton Phipps George Masterman Gillett1921–1922 Percy Simmons Francis Robert Ince Anderton Howell Williams1922–1923 Francis Robert Ince Anderton Henry Cubitt Gooch Henrietta Adler1923–1924 Henry Cubitt Gooch Henry Vincent Rowe Earl of Haddo1924–1925 John Herbert Hunter Isidore Salmon Henry Mills1925–1926 Oscar Emanuel Warburg John Burgess Preston Karslake Susan Lawrence1926–1927 George Hume William Hunt Emil Davies1927–1928 John Maria Gatti Geoffrey Head Edward Cruse1928–1929 Cecil Levita Frederick Lionel Dove John Speakman

1929–1939

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman1929–1930 Lord Monk Bretton Ernest Sanger Eveline Lowe1930–1931 Robert Tasker Thomas Clarence Edward Goff Alfred Baker1931–1932 Ernest Sanger Ernest Dence Cecil Manning1932–1933 Angus Scott Beatrix Lyall Agnes Dawson1933–1934 Ernest Dence Cyril Jacobs Anna Mathew1934–1935 Lord Snell Ewart Culpin Charles Allpass1935–1936 Lord Snell Ewart Culpin William Wilson Grantham1936–1937 Lord Snell Ewart Culpin Robert Taylor1937–1938 Lord Snell Emil Davies Frederic Bertram Galer1938–1939 Ewart Culpin John Speakman Gervas Pierrepont

1939–1949

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman1939–1940 Eveline Lowe Richard Coppock Samuel Gluckstein1940–1941 Albert Emil Davies Henry Berry Frank Stanley Henwood 1941–1942 Charles Ammon Charles Gibson Edgar John Sainsbury1942–1943 J. P. Blake Ada Gray Walter Clifford Northcott1943–1944 Alfred Baker Richard Coppock (May 1943) Reginald H. Pott Eric Hall1944–1945 Somerville Hastings Thomas Henry Jones Edward Martin1945–1946 Charles Robertson Ethel Maud Newman Frederick William Dean1946–1947 John Cliff Harry Smith Frank Gibbs Rye1947–1948 Eleanor Nathan Ernest Sherwood John Martin Oakey1948–1949 Walter Richard Owen Frank Lawrence CombesFred Powe (October 1948) William Reed Hornby Steer

1949–1959

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman1949–1950 John William Bowen Bernard Sullivan Charles Pearce1950–1951 John William Bowen Helen Bentwich A W Scott1951–1952 John William Bowen Richard Sargood Norah Runge1952–1953 Edwin Bayliss Douglas Prichard Francis William Beech1953–1954 Arthur Edward Middleton Molly Bolton (November 1953) Molly Bolton Frank Banfield (November 1953) Frederick Lawrence1954–1955 Victor Mishcon Jack Oldfield Alfred Edward Reneson Coucher1955–1956 Norman Prichard Ethel Rankin George Rowland Durston Bradfield1956–1957 Helen Bentwich J. O'Neill Ryan Elizabeth Evelyn Pepler1957–1958 Ronald McKinnon Wood Leonard Browne Margery Thornton1958–1959 Albert Samuels Eleanor Goodrich Cecilia Petrie

1959–1965

Civic year Chairman Vice chairman Deputy chairman1959–1960 Sidney Barton Edward Woods Samuel Isidore Salmon1960–1961 Florence Cayford John Keen Norman Farmer1961–1962 Harold Shearman Edward Avery Randolph Joseph Cleaver1962–1963 Olive Deer Herbert James Lowton Lygoe Eileen Hoare1963–1964 Reginald Stamp Arthur Wicks (October 1963) Arthur Wicks Henry Stillman (October 1963) Unity Lister1964–1965 Arthur Wicks Henry Stillman Frank Abbott

Note t: Stamp resigned unexpectedly on 5 October 1963 when he came under investigation by the Director of Public Prosecutions. On 11 October 1963 Wicks was elected chairman in his place, and his place as vice chairman was filled by Stillman. Stamp was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in December 1963.

References

See also List of heads of London government